


Desired Constellation

by pinkpoodlepop



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mates, Sexual Content, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolves, but right now its just sufin and dennor :D, i hope you enjoy!!, tons and TONS of ships to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:06:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 54,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4203870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkpoodlepop/pseuds/pinkpoodlepop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tino has got to stop waking up in weird places. (werewolf au. updates once every two weeks!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

‘Bad mood’ didn’t even begin to cover how Tino was feeling right now. He kicked a rock out of his way and pretended it was his stupid boss’s _face_. How one person could be so grimy and sleazy, he would never know.

His long walk home was normally a relaxing time for him. He loved to look at the beautiful scenery in his Finnish home and, oftentimes, he took the long way just so he could spend more time outside. Every day, he would work long hours at a miserable little diner surrounded by rude customers and a pervy boss just to walk back home and fall asleep to bad sitcoms, his only comfort being his tiny dog. He was sad and lonely, that goes without saying.

He had few acquaintances and even fewer friends. Each night, he would find himself looking up at the stars and wishing for a better life. A better job, better friends, and god dammit, a better fucking boss! He kicked another rock and almost tripped over it. He scoffed at himself and was almost grateful he had no friends so no one saw that embarrassing slip up. Almost.

But whatever. He was about 10 minutes from his house now, he could walk up the stairs and throw himself on the couch and cuddle with his dog until he fell asleep, just to wake up and repeat this horrible day again tomorrow. And the next day and the next day and the next day.

Tino ran his eyes over the forest down the hill he walked on. The tall trees probably held all kinds of beautiful animals; rodents, birds, monkeys...were there monkeys in Finland? Probably not, Tino had no idea. It was probably too cold for them.

He hadn’t even noticed he’d stopped walking until a freezing gust of wind almost knocked him over. Yeah, definitely too cold for monkeys. He shivered a little but didn’t move. There was something about the forest that seemed different today. Before he even realized it, he was stumbling down the hill towards the towering trees.

He put a hand on the trunk of a tree and thought, _what the hell, it's not like I have anything better to do._ Stepping through the grass and plants, he reached the trees. He reached a hand out to touch the rough trunk and rubbed the other hand through his hair. He moved around the thick tree to fully enter the vast expanse of wildlife.

He stood there for a second, then broke into a run. He had no idea how he didn’t fall immediately, but it didn’t matter. The feel of the wind running through his face, the soft ground beneath his feet and the sounds of the forest around him calmed him immensely. Boss, what boss? Fuck him! Tino was alone now, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. That includes running around a probably dangerous forest laughing like a crazy person.

He paused in a clearing and fell to his knees. Kicked off shoes fell under him and he laid down on the ground. He rolled around in the soft green grass, feeling like a giddy child, before settling down. The sunlight warmed him in a comforting way and he felt himself get a little sleepy.

“Yeah,” he mumbled to himself, closing his eyes and loving the feel of the grass cradling him, making him more comfortable than his bed ever did, “monkeys could totally live here.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Tino sat up in a cold sweat. He blinked blearily at his surroundings before his eyes shot open in shock. There was no way he could’ve been stupid enough to fall asleep in some random stupid forest...right? He rubbed at his eyes and when he still saw the dark trees around him, he cursed loudly and scrambled for his shoes, pulling them on quickly and standing. _Shit, shit, shit, shit._

He felt the cold rush of panic when he couldn’t remember which way he came from and he started to tear up. He stumbled forward and couldn’t help but hate this forest now. What was a beautiful sanctuary only a few hours ago was now his own worst nightmare. Strange sounds were coming from all around him and he squeaked in fright when they came too close. God, it was so dark, how late was it?!

He wiped some tears away with his sweater and started to walk forward in a way that might be the right direction. After about fifteen minutes of awkward shuffling and trying to stifle his tears, he came to a lake. A fucking _lake_.

He fell to his knees and started sobbing. There goes trying to stay calm. But how could anyone stay calm in this situation?! Being lost in this forest, freezing in his way too thin sweater, and bawling his eyes out were the three things that Tino was doing right now and none were helping him calm down. He tried to take deep breaths but all that came out were pathetic whimpers.

Normally, he would love this peaceful lake, but all he could think about was the fact that sharks would climb out of the stupid water and kill him. Hey, give him a break, he’s basically having a panic attack here!

He stayed crying loudly on the side of the lake for another 15 minutes. He spent some of the time fantasizing of life in the wild, making friends with the monkeys and sharks and whatnot, but the majority of the time was spent thinking (and blubbering over) of his inevitable death.

Wiping his tears away, he sniffled and sighed. Who would even notice he was gone? What, his boss? Yeah, maybe his dumb boss would notice his little boy toy wasn’t coming into work anymore. Tino scoffed and leaned forward until his head softly touched the ground in front of him, his blonde hair getting sand in it. God, how was he going to get out here?

He jumped at a loud sound behind him, sitting up immediately and hurriedly wiping at his tears. He stood and turned around, stumbling backwards so his feet were just a few inches away from the water. The moonlight made everything a sort of eerie glow, which just made his heart beat faster as he looked for the source of the sound.

Frantically whipping his head around at another snap, this one even closer, he let out a small whimper. He was going to die. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. He took another shaky step back, this time stepping into the water.

“Jumalauta,” he whispered the word when another crack sounded, this one right at the edge of the darkness. He was sure his entire body was shaking and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing, but oddly, he didn’t feel that scared anymore. There was a new feeling in him, a weird tug in his gut that made him want to take a step forward, even though that would probably lead to his demise.

He shut his eyes and dug his nails into his palms hard enough to draw blood. He whimpered at the shuffling noises happening less than ten feet away from him and bit his lip to keep any more stupid sounds in. Maybe the huge shark-monkey hybrid monster thing about to kill him would take pity on him if he tried to at least look brave.

A sudden humongous weight shoved him onto his back, making him fall into the shallow, freezing lake water. He gasped panickedly and shot open his eyes to see a huge, deadly, ready-to-chow-on-his-fucking-bones wolf. He let out quick and terrified mumble of prayers and curses and the wolf raked it’s sharp claws forcefully down Tino’s side. The pain was immediate. He screamed and could almost feel the horrible sensation of blood gushing out of him and staining his, now ripped, white sweater.

The huge brown wolf leaned down and almost gently took his arm in his huge mouth filled with _huge razor sharp teeth and oh my God I am really about to die_. He couldn’t even try to pull his arm out. He could barely move from the shock, let alone fight off this beast probably four times his size. Tino was babbling incoherently and he just wanted to pass out already, just wanted to lay back and die so the pain would go away. He didn’t want to feel this big dumb wolf tear his limbs off and eat them for breakfast with his little wolf wife and little wolf kids. God, was he delirious?! What even are these thoughts?!

The wolf bit down, drawing another pained scream and even more blood out of Tino. He felt sick and absolutely terrified. And so, so dizzy, but not with fear. Dizzy with a strange, overwhelming emotion he’d never felt before.

Right before he finally fell into sweet, sweet unconsciousness, he could’ve sworn he felt strong, warm, _human_ arms pick him up and carry him into the mass of dark trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the second chapter a day early in honor of all the kudos the first one got and canadas bday!!!! he wont be in the story for a while, but it's never too early to celebrate :D

“Come on, Ber! It’s almost nightfall and I haven’t eaten since the last hunt!”

Berwald rolled his eyes at his Alpha’s call from the front porch and stood from his seat on the old leather couch. He stretched his arms over his head and fixed his glasses’ position on his nose. Tonight was their pack’s weekly hunting night and, as the Beta, it was his job to patrol the border before the rest of the pack came out to hunt. Or, that was _supposed_ to be his job.

Mathias, the Alpha who was now practically whining for Berwald to hurry up, always insisted on coming along on any pack duty. Even if one of them was just going to the store, he tagged along like a puppy. Whether it was because he wanted to annoy his pack or because he genuinely loved being around them, Berwald didn’t know. Probably both.

And then there was Lukas, Mathias’s mate. Mathias refused to leave his side for even a second, so he was forced to come on their hunting patrols as well, no matter how many times he said he didn’t want to. Berwald wasn’t sure why Lukas would always argue against coming, but by now it would be strange if he didn’t at least protest.

And then the final member of the pack, Emil. He was the youngest of the four and Lukas’s younger brother. Lukas had always been strangely protective of him, much to Emil’s disapproval. He was also forced to go with the group on nights like this, simply because there was a mutual agreement that he couldn’t be left alone in their house. Again, to Emil’s disapproval.

“Come on, Ber. I’m hungry too,” came a soft voice behind him. Speak of the devil. Berwald turned and saw Emil standing with his arms crossed and he almost laughed at how similar he looked to Lukas. Emil could deny their relation all he wanted, but the resemblance was too close for them to not be brothers. He followed the teenager to the door and saw that Lukas and Mathias were already standing outside, getting undressed so their clothes wouldn't be ruined when they changed.

"Finally! You guys were taking forever! It's almost like you don't like our group outings!" Mathias pouted and crossed his arms over his bare chest before sighing and shucking his boxers off so he could quickly change into his wolf. The huge black and brown creature would be scary if whoever saw it didn't see the wolf when he was with his pack. He was the most comfortable in his wolf form, sometimes even changing when it wasn't necessary, just to curl up in front of the fireplace when it was cold. Lukas always complained about dirty paw prints on the wood floors but it was never serious. Mathias was also easily the most playful of the group and he often whined about having a pack that hated him and wanted him to die of boredom until Lukas would change with him and let him chase him around.

Mathias was currently trotting circles around Lukas as he took off his shirt, wagging his tail and whining when his mate took his time in undressing. He nudged Lukas in the stomach with his wet nose and rubbed his huge body against his side and the other scoffed, “What are you, a cat?”

“Yeah, must be,” Emil said, walking down the couple steps to where the other two were and pulling off his own shirt, “he’s dumb enough to be one.”

Mathias growled playfully and sat down next to Lukas, almost as tall as Lukas was in his human form. Granted, Lukas was pretty short, but still. Mathias was huge. Not as big as Berwald, however, who was currently removing his clothes on the porch and listening to the two brothers talk.

He often felt left out when the pack was all together like this. It was kind of lonely when Mathias and Lukas had the bond of being mates and Emil and Lukas had the bond of being family, something none of them had had in hundreds of years. Berwald knew his pack wanted him there, they were all the closest of friends -unlike some of the other packs who held the territory to the south and east of them who seemed to do nothing but argue and fight- but sometimes, late at night when he allowed his thoughts to wander, he prayed that his mate would come soon. It was rather unfair, Mathias found Lukas so soon, and they had been mates for more than two centuries now, and Berwald, despite being almost just as old as Mathias, still hadn't found his mate He sighed and shook off his thoughts along with his last article of clothing. Tonight was a good night for hunting, the sky was clear and there was no sign of rain to hinder their senses in any way. He sat his glasses down on the wooden table outside their door and changed into his wolf quickly and jumped down to join the now completely wolf group, shaking out his black fur and opening his mouth to let his now stronger senses taste the wind.

Every scent he got was normal enough until the breeze brought a new one to him. A new, absolutely _delicious_ scent that made his fur stand on end and his ears perk up. He followed it to the edge of the clearing where their house was and when a strong gust of wind brought the smell strongly with it, he broke into a run towards it. He only faintly heard his pack’s questioning barks behind him, all he could think of was this sweet, amazing scent that called to him.

_‘Ber, what’s up?’_ Mathis’s question entered his mind and he cursed the distraction from his hunt for the source of the smell, _‘What’s wrong?’_

_‘You’re telling me you don’t smell that?’_ he thought back, sniffing the ground to find that the smell was definitely closer now, to his delight.

_‘I don’t smell anything weird,_ ’ Lukas’s voice sounded next, _‘We’re coming though, keep following the scent.’_

_‘You guys think someone’s on our territory? Another pack?’_ Mathias sounded cheerful, despite the possible danger, _‘Or just a human going for some sunset stroll?’_

_‘I have no idea what this is, it’s delicious though,_ ’ Berwald ran forward at full speed, almost desperately holding onto the scent. Lukas and Emil both made surprised sounds while Mathias’s obnoxious laugh filled his head.

_‘Almost sounds like you’ve found your mate, bud!’_ Mathias laughed again, _‘don’t know what they’d be doing out here at this time of night, though.'_

Berwald screeched to a halt the second the word came from Mathias. Mate. He looked around almost blindly and blessed the air that presented him with the scent again. God, if this was the scent of his mate, he would probably never let go of them. Well, even if this wasn’t his mate he highly doubted he would ever let go of whatever held this scent. He shook the thoughts from his mind, he didn’t want to get his hopes up. This was probably just some bottle of perfume that rolled into the forest and broke and was now smelling up the place. How a bottle of perfume would just happen to roll into the middle of the forest and release a heavenly scent that apparently only he could smell was beyond him, but he was going to hold onto that until he was (hopefully) proven otherwise.

A sudden cold feeling washed over him. What if it was his mate and the reason they were out in this forest was because they were hurt? He felt a growl bubble in his throat at the thought and he dug his claws into the ground. There was no way. No way something dead could give off such a beautiful smell. Another strong wind blew past, carrying the scent to him again and he broke into another run, more anxious to get to the scent than ever.

_‘We’re right behind you, Ber,’_ Emil’s voice came to him this time, _‘I’m sure they’re fine.’_

Berwald ran with his mouth open, catching every trace of the smell he could. Every minute it got stronger and fuck, Berwald could barely breathe. He could barely enjoy stretching his legs and being out in the forest because he was so worried about his possible mate and excited to get to them if it was them. After ten minutes of running as fast as his four legs would take him and getting more and more intoxicated by the scent, he got so close he could pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. He slowed down, scared to move any farther. He could smell the human scent underneath the dizzyingly sweet scent and he knew that this was it. His mate. Not some stupid perfume bottle, but the love of his long, long life. He was sure if he were a human right now, he would be crying from the sheer happiness he felt at this moment. He took another step forward and could tell that whoever it is, whoever this sweet smell belonged to, was less than 10 meters away.

God, he couldn’t believe this was happening to him. After about a minute of frozen silence, he moved all the way forward, bringing him so close to the scent he couldn’t move. Ten steps took him to the end of a small cliff, barely five feet tall. He got behind a tree and took deep breaths, trying not to focus on the scent gracing his nose right now. He looked down to see what was a small clearing, full of grass, some flowers, a couple scattered large rocks and- holy shit. The most beautiful and angelic boy he’d ever laid his eyes on.

His heart tugged hard on his chest, begging to be given to this asleep, amazing human. He couldn’t breathe and he especially couldn't move. How many years, decades, _centuries_ had he waited for this moment? How many times could he not sleep from all the thoughts about his mate who wasn’t even born at the time? Why was he even out here? He didn’t appear to be harmed, Berwald thanked God, but what had brought him out here? Berwald almost couldn’t control himself and had to fight the urge to change back into a human just so he could _speak_ to this gorgeous boy.

A million worries flew around in his head. What if he wouldn’t want to be with him? What if he hated him? God, what if this boy was his mate but he wasn’t the boy’s? Was that even possible? What if the boy was cold and cruel and horrible? No, Berwald couldn’t even think that for a second. Even if this beautiful boy with the golden hair currently blowing around his adorable face was the most cruel-hearted person in existence, Berwald would still love and cherish him. He doubted that would be the case, however. No one with eyelashes that long and dark could be cruel.

Berwald didn’t know how long he stood there, frozen, fantasizing about a life with his mate. God, his mate. He spun around at a sudden crack behind him, ready to attack whatever dared come near the boy, until he saw Lukas's sleek, silver body come out from the shadows, closely followed by Mathias's sturdier, black and brown one. Berwald couldn't smell anything over the overpowering smell of his beautiful mate, but he assumed Emil was close by.

_‘Wow, congrats, Ber! Finally you get your mate! He’s really fuckin’ pretty, huh,_ ’ Mathias laughed at Berwald’s growl, coming up to sit next to him, _‘smells really good, too.’_

_‘Shut up, Mathias,’_ Lukas spat, coming up next to them with Emil only a few steps behind him.

_‘Not as pretty as you, Lukie, no one is as pretty as you,’_ Mathias cooed, pressing his flank against Lukas’s. Berwald could beg to differ.

_‘Don’t call me that,’_ despite his words, Lukas gave a few quick licks to Mathias’s lowered head.

Berwald ignored his pack’s chatter and turned back to the boy. He wanted to know everything about him, all his favorite things, about his family, even just knowing his name would make him so, so happy. All of a sudden, the boy sat up straight like a rod, and Berwald could smell the fear and confusion on him, making his heart tug. The surprised pack watched as the boy let out panicked curses fall from his lips as he pulled on his shoes and stood on shaky feet.

The boy looked (adorably) confused and terrified. Berwald’s instinct was to curl around him and comfort him until the tears went away, but Mathias sent out a quick order that they all stayed put. The boy wiped away some tears with the sleeve of his soft-looking white sweater and started to walk in to the east, in the direction opposite the pack.

_‘Okay, Berwald, he’s your mate. Should I turn him tonight or do you wanna wait some time?’_ Mathias’s voice cut through his mind like a saw through a tree, reminding him of two things. One, only the Alpha could turn people, and two, his gorgeous mate would have to be turned into one of them. Not only would have to watch him go through the most painful experience of his life, but he would have to watch someone else cause it. Watching from the background was never Berwald's favorite thing; he wanted to be in the action too, especially in this situation. But still...

_'Tonight. I want to be with him.'_

_'Well alright! Let's go!_ ' Mathias jumped down into the clearing so he could stalk the boy. It was pretty easy, all he had to do was follow the soft cries that the boy was leaving in his wake. Berwald jumped down too, then turned back to give some orders to Lukas and Emil.

_‘Go back to the house and set up a room for him. Get the medical supplies ready too, he might have more injuries than just the bite.’_ he turned back around to follow not only Mathias, but his mate. God, he would never get to used to that word. _Mate._

_‘Yes sir,’_ Lukas said in a uncaring tone, but sent an almost worried glance up at Mathias, and then a bored one at Berwald, _‘this is the first new addition to our pack in almost two centuries, I almost miss cleaning up bite wounds,’_

Emil rolled his eyes at Berwald’s worried look and nudged his brother in the direction of the house, _‘Come on, Lukas. Let’s leave so we can get everything set up.’_

Berwald watched the brothers retreat and turned back around. He could still barely smell anything other than his mate, but he just followed that scent, as he knew Mathias was doing as well. He walked on shaky paws after the scent and paused when he heard a loud sob followed by awful crying sounds that made Berwald’s entire body burn with the absolute need to stop it. He knew it was his mate immediately and he raced forward to catch up with the sounds. He could tell by the tone of the cries that he wasn’t in pain, but he was upset over something. Probably about being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

He slowed when he saw Mathias’s body against the moonlight, but still hurried forward to see his mate kneeling in the sand by the lake, letting out loud wails.

_‘What happened?’_ Berwald asked hurriedly, ignoring the snap of the branch he stepped on and sending a worried glance to Mathias, _‘Is he hurt?’_

_‘Nah, man. He was saw the lake and just started bawling. Have no idea what’s goin' on._ ’

Berwald and Mathias stood behind the boy for a while, both confused and worried about their new pack member. Berwald couldn’t keep still. He paced back and forth, scuffed his paws on the ground, he even contemplated burying his nose in the dirt. Anything to get rid of the temptation the beautiful scent brought to him, anything to not curl up next to the boy currently sobbing on the beach. Mathias tried to calm him down with a few knock-knock jokes but quickly gave up, deciding instead to lay down on his side and look up at the stars.

_‘You know, I’m glad we’re not like one of those fantasy werewolves where they can only change during the full moon. I love being in this form! I always feel so warm!_ ’ Mathias’s always happy voice filled his head again, making him grateful for the distraction.

_‘I hope he feels the same way,’_ was all he replied, moving closer to the beach. He kicked a rock out of his way and almost jumped when his boy shot up and looked behind him, looking absolutely terrified. Berwald’s breath caught when he saw the boy’s eyes, the most beautiful and enchanting things he’s ever seen. Mathias came and stood next to Berwald, making some sounds that made the boy jump again.

_‘He’s a jumpy one, eh? Poor kid’s probably scared to death,’_ he mused, _‘what do you say I get this show on the road? Now’s as good a time as ever.’_

Berwald sighed and replied, heart breaking at the little whimper the boy made, _‘Please do it quickly, I don’t want him to be in pain.'_

_'Roger that, my faithful companion!’_ Berwald rolled his eyes, how did he ever end up with an Alpha like him?

Mathias took a couple steps forward, right to the edge of where the darkness hid him, and accidentally stepped on another branch, making the boy jump and mutter a Finnish curse neither of the wolves recognized. He dropped into an almost predatory crouch and prepared to jump. Berwald felt sick at the tears flowing out of the boy’s beautiful, scared eyes. The boy shut his eyes and clenched his fists and Mathias jumped.

He pushed the boy down into the shallow lake water and Berwald could barely breathe. His mate was currently whispering curses in both Finnish and English and looking up in almost awe at Mathias. Mathias raked his claws down the boy’s side and Berwald let out a ferocious growl. What the hell is he doing?! Probably trying to assert his dominance or some crap, he scoffed. The scent of the boy’s blood and the sound of his pained scream made him furious and want to rip Mathias’s stupid, smirking head off.

_‘Calm down, Ber. Just showin’ him who’s boss! I’ll be gentle with this next part,_ ’ Berwald watched in horror as he took the thin arm into his large mouth and the boy’s cries got louder and more desperate, pleading for help that Berwald couldn’t give, no matter how much he wanted to.

Berwald could sense Mathias’s discomfort and briefly felt bad for him, but when he bit down and the boy screamed again, the pity turned to anger. The boy’s eyes fell shut and before Berwald even realized he was doing it, he had changed back into his human form and was leaning over to scoop the boy up in his arms. He almost regretted changing back, because he couldn’t smell the boy’s soothing yet dazzling scent as strongly anymore, but he still got the same gut-wrenching feeling when he looked at him, so he didn’t mind that much. Besides, now he could _touch_ him. He ran a hand down his arm and shivered at how soft the pale skin was, cradling him to his chest as gently as possible. He looked up at Mathias’s now-human, grinning face and he gestured to the boy’s side wound that was now dripping blood onto Berwald’s bare chest,

“Let’s hurry him back. He’ll probably take twice as long to heal with these claw wounds you gave him.”

“Hey, I’m sorry about that, okay? My Alpha instincts sorta… took over for a second,” Mathias rubbed the back of his head, “It happened with Emil too, remember? I guess the Alpha in me needs to show some sort of dominance over the newest member of the pack? I don’t know-”

“It’s fine, let’s just get going,” Berwald stood and started walking briskly in the direction of the house.

“Ber, ya know…” Mathias started, running behind up behind him and putting his arm around Berwald’s shoulders, “I’m really happy for you, eh? Having a mate is the best feeling in the world! He’s really pretty too, super sweet smelling…” Mathias dodged Berwald’s kick and laughed loudly, “Heeey! You know I’m just teasing! I can’t wait to meet this kid, though… I feel like me and him are gonna be really good friends!”

Berwald barely mumbled a reply, still enraptured in his own thoughts as he drew his eyes over his mate, making him slightly blurry without the help of his glasses. He was nervous as hell to make a good impression on him and his insides twisted terribly at the thoughts of his mate hating him clouding his mind. He and Mathias walked back to the house quickly, the silence only interrupted when Berwald voiced his worries about the boy’s wounds and when Mathias attempted to calm him down.

When they finally arrived to the house, they both hurried to the front door and entered quickly. Lukas was waiting for them and he led them to the downstairs guest room. Berwald laid the boy gently on the bed and Lukas tsked at the claw marks running down his side, “Those are gonna scar pretty bad, Mathias. You better get an apology ready now if you want him to like you.”

“He’ll like me no matter what! I’m his Alpha!” Mathias replied indignantly, pouting at Lukas, who was already treating the large bite that took up most of the boy’s forearm and ignoring his mate.

“Will it heal okay?” Berwald asked, looking at the unconscious boy worriedly, the sight of his mate’s blood still making him feel nauseous, “He’ll be okay, right?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. It’s already starting to heal, see?” Berwald looked and saw that Lukas was right, the bleeding had already stopped and the skin around the wounds wasn’t as red as it was, “He’ll probably change for the first time in about six hours, and it’s about midnight right now, so leave the house by sunrise so you all don’t scare him. I’ll tell him all about werewolves and shit, whatever he wants to know.”

“Great! Thanks, Luke. Hey Ber, wanna bet what color his fur will be? I bet it’ll be white! Probably really fluffy too, he looks fluffy!” Mathias laughed and patted him on the back, then jumped when a small groan sounded from the bed. The boy’s eyes were fluttering open blearily and Berwald walked forward, his heart in his throat. He almost wanted to kick the others out of the room but he shook that feeling off quickly, as he didn’t want to seem too possessive.

“Hi, I’m Lukas. I’m gonna take care of you, calm down, it’s okay.” Berwald was very grateful that Lukas could have such a soft, soothing voice when he wanted to. The boy was looking confusedly at his now-bandaged arm and Lukas spoke again, “it’ll be fine, just try to go back to sleep, okay?”

“I..” he started, coughing a little and still looking completely out of it, “have to feed...my dog…” Mathias loud, echoing laugh filled the air and all of Berwald’s worries went down the drain. A tiny chorus of voices in his mind sang 'cute, cute, cute' and God, he wasn’t even in his wolf form anymore and he still wanted to curl up next to the boy. He barely heard Mathias leave the room as he walked forward and sat on the bed, next to the boy's legs. It took everything he had not to change into his wolf, lay down next to him and lick his wounds better like some silly puppy. He just wanted to bury himself in the scent that he knew would be there if he just leaned in...

“Ber, you should leave too. I have to clean his side wound still and if he wakes back up and sees you, or even worse, smells you, I doubt he’ll let you go. New wolves don’t really know how to control themselves against their instincts and I want to explain to him what’s going on before he officially meets anyone else,”

“I don’t wanna leave,” Berwald said, not even bothering to hide his emotions as he lightly touched the boy’s jeans-covered calf, “I want to stay next to him,”

“You guys are gonna be together for a long time, a few hours apart won’t hurt you. Besides, I’m sure once he turns, he’ll be after your scent like you were after his. This’ll probably be the last time I’ll be able to get him alone, eh? Go sleep on the couch with Emil and Mathias, set an alarm for around 6:00, and then I can formally introduce him to all of you in the morning. That’ll give you time to relax, and me time to explain to him what his life is gonna be like from now on. Here,” he said, tossing a piece of fabric he’d had to cut from the boy’s sweater to get to the wound, “take this to calm yourself, lover boy. Get out now, I’m busy.”

Berwald rubbed the soft fabric between his fingers and held it up to his nose to sniff it. He almost shivered at the scent and sighed, "Okay...just- take good care of him?"

Lukas gave him a look, "Of course."

Berwald stood and with another long look at his mate, he walked to the dresser in the room to pull some random clothes out to pull on before making his way to the living room to wait for the most important morning of his life to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh thank you for reading!!! i hope you enjoyed the story!! :D
> 
> quick reference for what the nordic pack looks like as wolves:  
> tino- youll have to keep reading to find out ;D  
> berwald- the biggest out of them with thick black fur  
> mathias- brown and black. i was sort of thinking coloring like a german shepherd?  
> lukas- silver shiny fur and very sleek!!  
> emil- lighter silver than lukas (almost white) with a few black splotches on his back
> 
> again, my tumblr is ieroscarecrow.tumblr.com if u want to get in touch with me <3!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an extra extra long chapter in celebration of all the lovely comments everyone has left!!! you guys are so sweet and im very thankful for all of you :D <3!!
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!

Tino woke up in a warm, cozy bed. Yawning and sighing softly, he sat up so he was leaning on his forearms and blearily opened his eyes, wondering when his bed had gotten so damn comfor- this was not his room. Or his bed, for that matter. He looked around the empty room from his frozen spot on the bed and tried to stay calm. The scratches and bite he'd gotten from that huge scary wolf from last night were all bandaged up, so that meant he was somewhere where he would be take care of...right? He sent panicked glances around the room like lavish decor would give him the answers he wanted.

He sat up all the way and stretched his arms over his head, careful not to disturb the bandages wrapped around him. Whoever saved him from bleeding out in that awful forest was forever in his debt. Tino didn’t know how he could possibly repay someone for saving his life, but he would do anything to show his gratitude.

Lightly touching where the bandages covered his wounds, he noticed something. The wounds barely hurt. Wow, what medicine had he been given to almost completely erase the horrible pain he should’ve been feeling right now? Not to say he didn't still feel like absolute shit. His bones felt like they were all moving out of place underneath his skin or something. But, hey, at least he wasn't bleeding anymore!

He jumped when a sudden beam of light hit his face from the now open door. A boy who looked a year or two younger than him walked in holding a tray of something and looked at him with a vaguely surprised expression.

"Oh, you're awake," the boy walked forward and placed the tray of pancakes and fruit down on the bed next to Tino, then looked down at him on the bed, "here's some food. What's your name?"

"I-" Tino started, coughing a little to clear his throat and push himself to answer, "I'm Tino...um, where am I? And who are you? And uh, what time is it?”

“Tino, huh? That’s a cute name,” Tino flushed and started to protest, but the other gave him a look that shut him up, ”I’m Emil. You’re in my house that I live in with my brother and two other friends. And it’s probably around four a.m. right now.”

Tino flailed a little and Emil held up a hand, "No, it's fine, we would’ve all been awake anyways. Besides, everyone’s so excited to meet you, they can’t sleep.”

“Everyone is exc-”

“Shhh,” Emil interrupted, giving a small smile to Tino, “I’m gonna go send Lukas in to check on your wounds. The rest of us will wait outside so you two can get...situated.”

Tino was about to ask more questions but Emil held up his finger again and gestured to the food, “Eat up, pup. You’ll need your energy up for later.”

With that, he left the room and left Tino feeling more confused than before. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then sighed again when a few leaves came out in his fingers. He remembered falling asleep in the grass last night and shook his head to get rid of the embarrassment. The damage was already done, no reason to dwell on it now, no matter how much it made him want to cover himself with the soft blankets and never come out.

He reached over to the food tray and grabbed one of the apple slices to nibble on. The big, fluffy pancakes with what looked like lingonberry syrup on top looked amazing, but he still felt kind of sick and he doubted he could keep that down right now. No matter how good they looked… Aw, to hell with it. It won’t kill him to have a bite or two! He tore off a piece and plopped it in his mouth and moaned at the taste. If this is what they ate here every day, Tino would have a hard time leaving.

“Enjoying the pancakes?” Tino looked up quickly to see a boy who looked like an even more bored version of Emil standing in the doorway. He blushed and looked away quickly. Here he was, caught moaning over pancakes like a freak in front of someone who was apparently excited to meet him. He gulped down the pancakes and turned back to smile at the now smirking boy, “Hi! Uh..yes! The pancakes are delicious! Did you make them? They’re very good!”

Tino felt frazzled as hell and he was sure it was obvious to the other boy. He walked slowly towards Tino and sat down next to him on the bed, "Tino, right? I'm Lukas, and I didn't make the pancakes, but I'm sure Berwald will be very happy that you liked them."

The name settled in Tino's stomach like a rock. _Berwald._ The boy, Lukas, seemed to smirk even more.

"Who's Be-"

"Listen, Tino, I have a lot to tell you. It's gonna be really weird but it's extremely important, okay? I need you to listen to me," Lukas interrupted. Tino felt like being interrupted was something he was gonna have to get used to. But, he was curious now, so he nodded and Lukas began to speak again.

"Okay, this is actually a pretty complicated situation, so I'm just gonna say the most simple version and then you can freak out and ask all the questions you want when I'm finished, okay?"

Okay, now Tino was properly confused and scared. What could be so bad? He nodded again, this time more apprehensively.

"Great...mmm, well, I'll just come right out and say it. The wolf that bit you last night was a werewolf. His name is Mathias and he's the Alpha of our pack and my mate. He bit you because our Beta, that's Berwald, is your mate. You're gonna turn into your wolf in a about two hours and then you'll meet the rest of the pack. Including Ber."

_What._

Tino certainly wasn't expecting that. He was shocked and felt a weird pull in his gut that made him nauseous. A million questions ran through his mind and he felt completely shocked and confused. He said the first thing that came to his mind, whispering the words carefully and looking up at Lukas timidly, "I don't believe you."

Lukas sighed and fixed the golden cross pin holding his bangs out of his eyes, "Yeah, I didn't either when I was turned. But it's true. Hey, are you okay? You look pretty freaked out."

Tino exploded, not able to hold himself back anymore, "Of course I'm freaked out! Here you are, some pretty stranger telling me that I'm gonna turn into a scary wolf in an hour, and you expect me to not be scared?! Will it hurt? Will I be able to change back? How does Berwald know I'm his mate?! How will I know he's my mate?! I don't even know him! What even is a mate?! Do I have to eat people?! I don't want to do that! How do I even know you're telling me the truth?!" Tino took a deep breath and realized there were tears in his eyes, oh crap. Now his new packmate or whatever was gonna think he's a wuss!

Lukas looked amused, "That's a lot of questions, hm. Let's see... thank you for calling me pretty, that's very sweet of you,”

“I didn’t mean to say that…” Tino mumbled, flushing under Lukas’s gentle smile.

“For your first question, yes, it will hurt. But the pain you'll feel before you turn for the first time is probably the most pain you’ll feel in this whole situation. Turning is something that comes pretty naturally, so your body will accept it pretty easily. It’s changing back into a human that hurts like a bitch. And that answers your second question, yes, you’ll be able to change back. It takes some practice to force yourself back into human form, so you’ll spend most of today in your wolf form before you’ll be able to fully change back.”

“What will I look like as a wolf?” Tino asked quietly, sort of amazed at how his life was going right now. Only twenty one years old and already a dumb mythical creature that probably would eat everyone he’d ever known. Hey, maybe he could get back at his boss now that he was going to be a terrifying wolf thing!

“Hm, good question. You’re the smallest out of all of us so you’ll be the smallest wolf as well,” so much for getting back at his boss, “Mathias thinks you’ll be really fluffy and white. I think I might agree with him, it fits you pretty well…”

“White and fluffy? Sounds like my dog! Her name is Hanatamago. Oh gosh, I need to go back home and feed her…”

“Later you can show us where your house is and I’ll go in and feed her.”

“Wow, really?! That’s so nice of you!” Tino smiled at him, he could get used to being around this guy, he was pretty cool! “I have another question, what are the others like? What if they don’t like me?”

“I don’t think you have to worry about anyone not liking you, Tino. You’re very cute.” Lukas grinned when Tino bashfully smacked his arm and he stood up and walked over to the dresser on the opposite wall. He picked a frame up off the top and walked back over to the bed. He sat and showed the picture to Tino. It was a picture of four men standing in front of a huge house that was about ten times the size of his small one bedroom one bathroom abode. He recognized Emil and Lukas standing in between two taller men.

Lukas pointed at himself and Emil, "That's me and my brother, Emil, you met him earlier. He's the one who brought you Berwald's pancakes," he smirked at Tino's blush.

"Yeah, you guys look like brothers," Tino said quietly, then looked at the two taller men. One of those two was his _mate_ now. Tino was weirded out, but still felt himself get excited. He briefly hoped that his mate wasn't the one with his arm wrapped tightly around Lukas's waist and a goofy grin on his face, but he shook his head. If that was his mate he'd have to deal with it. Wait- what?! If mates and werewolves and packs and all this crap were even real! Tino refused to be excited about something that he wasn't even sure was real yet! He had to admit though, talking to Lukas was coming very naturally to him, making him almost forget how nervous he was. He was normally so timid around people, even his friends at work, but he felt safe in this environment. Almost like he was meant to be there, or something.

Lukas's slender finger tapped the crazy-haired man's face and said, "That's Mathias, the Alpha and my mate, remember? He's loud, annoying, and sometimes downright stupid."

Tino looked up at him, shocked yet secretly pleased that one wasn't Berwald, "Do you not like him?! I thought mates were supposed to like each other!"

Lukas turned his face away and looked very embarrassed, "I love him more than anything. He's so kind and the most loyal person on the planet. You'll like him too, it's pretty hard not to."

Tino smiled and was about to say something to ease the tension but Lukas's finger tapping the other man's face made him pause, "That's Berwald, the Beta and your mate."

Tino's throat went dry and his eyes widened. His mate. He hardly understood the importance of those words, but they still made his heart beat faster. The tall, blonde man glaring back at him through the picture made him feel something new, something weird in his gut that made him shiver.

"Why is he glaring?" Tino asked in a small voice, glancing away from the handsome man to look at Lukas, "and what is he like?"

"His face is just like that, he's actually very sweet and kind. He's shy though, so it might take some time for him to be completely relaxed around you. But I don't actually know, because although it took time for him to warm up to me and Emil, you two are mates, so he might warm up to you really quick. What do you think?"

"I think he's really cute," Tino whispered under his breath, cheeks pink from looking at the man. Lukas snorted and Tino looked up at him and asked, "How does he know I'm his mate?"

"Hm, well, when you find your mate, their scent is the strongest and most delicious thing in the world. It calls to you and it's so good that you absolutely can't resist it. You chase after it until you find it and then you never let it go. The scent stops being as strong once you two are used to each other, but it's still the best thing ever. It calms you down, it makes you feel safe, it brings out all your primal instincts."

Tino confusedly sniffed the air and said, "All I smell is pancakes..."

Lukas laughed again, this time louder, and said, "That's because you haven't changed yet. Once you turn into your wolf, it'll be all but impossible to keep you from him."

"How embarrassing..." Tino flushed, and reached over to tear off another piece of pancake to plop into his mouth, "How will I know what smell is his?"

"It'll probably be the only thing you smell once you turn. His scent will be the only thing you'll be able to focus on. In fact," he said, standing to walk over to the dresser again and opening the drawers to pull out a couple articles of clothing, "here's some clothes from all four of us. This way you can know all our scents before you even change. If you weren't about to turn, these would all just smell like nothing since you'd be a human, but since you're a werewolf now, these hold a stronger scent. The scent of your pack."

Tino was feeling completely overwhelmed and slightly terrified. He looked up at Lukas with desperate eyes and the other sighed and set the clothes down on the end of the bed, "Still don't really believe me, eh? What can I do to convince you?"

"Um..." Tino started, not really sure of the answer, then clapped his hands together, "Oh! I know! Touch something silver! Werewolves don't like silver, right? If it hurts you, I know that you are telling the truth!"

"It's silver _bullets_ , Tino. And I think Mathias would be pretty upset if I shot myself just to prove to you that I'm not a liar. How about this, I'll just change into my wolf."

Tino's eyes widened and he waved his hands frantically, "No, no, no! That's too scary!"

Lukas smirked and pulled off his shirt, making Tino groan and cover his eyes, "Well, you're not going to believe me any other way. There's nothing to worry about, anyway. Even if I was vicious or something, I still wouldn't harm you because you're a member of my pack."

"This really is happening, oh God..." Tino whispered, peeking at Lukas undressing through his fingers, "why are you even taking off your clothes?!"

Lukas gave him a look, "I don't want to rip them when I change, duh," he was down to his boxers now and smirked up at Tino, "look away now if you wanna keep your innocence."

Tino squeaked and covered his eyes again, his head spinning. He felt like he was going to throw up and he took deep, shaky breaths to try to quell the nauseous feeling. His entire body hurt so bad, he found the deep breaths doing more damage than help. The time he spent talking to this stranger were the most thrilling and life-changing moments of his life so far. He knew he was probably being lied to by a house full of frat boys desperate for a prank or something, but the huge stone residing in his stomach told him otherwise. Plus, Lukas didn't really seem like a fan of pranks.

What if these guys really were telling the truth, though? What if the Berwald guy really was his mate?! What if he really was a werewolf now? He felt even more nauseous. Tino was still trying to breath calmly when he felt something wet nudge against his thigh. He jumped and his eyes widened comically when they landed on the silver wolf currently pressing his nose on Tino's leg.

Tino yelped and pushed himself as far away from the wolf as he could get while he was still wrapped up in the blankets. The wolf growled a little and hopped up on the bed with him, taking up the rest of the bed as he laid down next to Tino's legs and rest his head on his big paws so he could look up at him with the same striking eyes he had as a human. God, what the hell?!

Tino stared wide-eyed at the wolf before the wol-no, _Lukas_ , sighed and nudged his hand with his nose, trying to show that he wanted his nose scratched. Tino followed his instinct- What? He'd had dogs all his life! He knew what dogs wanted when they wanted it!- and rubbed Lukas's nose softly. When Lukas sighed again, this time more content, Tino raised his shaking, slightly terrified hands to rub both of Lukas's silver ears. After a minute of that, Lukas licked his arm and got up off the bed.

Tino watched in horror (and wonder) as the big silver wolf shrinked down back into a human form, fur, tail, and ears disappearing until the same boy that was talking to him earlier was left. Tino was sure he looked stupid with his mouth open in shock but he couldn't help it. At least Lukas wasn't lying to him, he thought.

"Hey, you look really pale, are you okay?"

Tino swatted Lukas's hand away from his forehead and blushed, "I'm okay, I'm just-" he glanced down at Lukas's very nude body, "I hope Mathias isn't the jealous type, I doubt he would like to see you naked in front of me like this."

Lukas ignored what he said and smiled triumphantly, "So you believe me! Good, now let's go back to what we were doing. The scents of your pack."

"How could I not believe you when you just turned into a huge wolf right in front of me?! That was insane! Totally crazy! You were so big!"

Lukas smirked as he pulled on his discarded clothes from the ground, "If you think I'm big, wait until you see Berwald and Mathias as wolves. They're huge. I'm sure you can tell from the size of that chunk Mathias took out of you last night." he said, gesturing to the bandage on Tino's arm.

"Oh! I almost forgot about this, honestly. Is that weird? It doesn't even hurt anymore! The rest of my body hurts more than this!" Tino said rubbing his finger along the white wrappings.

"No, it's not weird at all. Werewolves heal extremely fast, in fact, it's probably scabbed over already. You'll always have the scar, though. Same goes from the scratches on your side, you'll always have them."

"That's okay, I guess... I don't really have any scars, so this will make me look manly!" Tino gave a weak thumbs up and smiled at the other.

"Yeah, totally," Lukas teased, then handed the shirt he was wearing to Tino before he put it on, "Smell this. That's my scent."

Tino held the shirt up to his nose and smelled it, then made a surprised noise at how strongly it smelled. Any other friends he'd ever had had never smelled this strong before! He took another sniff and said, "Mmm, you smell good! Like a nice, calming beach!"

Lukas laughed outright at that and pulled on the shirt, "Thanks, Tino. That's sweet of you... I think. Here's Emil's scent," he said, handing a dark purple shirt to Tino next. Tino took it, excited about his apparently very strong nose now. How cool is this?! He'd never been able to smell something this strongly before!

Tino lifted the shirt to his nose and sighed happily at the calming scent coming off of it in waves. Lukas sat down next to him again and looked at him with a small smile, "Describe the scent, tell me what it smells like to you."

"Hm..." Tino started, focusing fully on the scent now, "it's very soothing, you know? Like lavender and...almonds? Yeah, something like that...oh! Ginger too! He almost smells like a cup of tea!" Tino giggled and handed the shirt back to Lukas.

"Yeah, I think that too," Lukas said softly, picking up the next shirt and smelling it deeply before handing it to Tino, "Mmm, this is Mathias's, describe the scent please."

"You guys are mates so you really like his smell, right? That's so cute!" Tino smiled brightly at Lukas's embarrassed look and smelled the shirt, "Hmm...whoa! Not what I expected! He smells fruity! Like, if you're a calming beach with sunsets and stuff, he's like a tropical beach party! Pineapples and coconuts!"

Lukas cheeks flushed a deeper red and when Tino laughed and patted him on the arm lightly, he turned his head quickly to hide his face, "Don't look at me, I'm making a stupid face."

"Aww! That's so sweet! I don't blame you for liking his scent, it's really good!" Tino beamed and Lukas shook his head at his new pack member and took back Mathias's shirt, holding it close to his chest.

"Speaking of liking your mate's scent, are you ready to smell Berwald's scent?" Lukas said, smirking at the way Tino's cheeks immediately flushed again and how he hid his face in his hands.

"Agh, you said I wouldn't be able to control myself once I smelled it though... I don't wanna be out of control!" Tino said panickedly.

Lukas reached out for the last shirt in the pile and rubbed the fabric absentmindedly, "Well, you won't be out of control yet. You'll probably feel a really strong urge to be with him once you smell it, but it's manageable. It's once you're in your wolf form that it completely takes over."

"Wah, I'm worried..."

"Tino, I told you it'll be fine, it-"

"No, no, it's just that- ugh! This is so strange! What if he doesn't think I'm cute? Does my hair look okay?!" Tino asked in a obviously overwhelmed, fast voice, reaching up to mess with his fringe, and making annoyed sounds when another leaf came out of his bangs, "Agh! Help me get these dumb leaves out!"

"Tino, it's not like he's even gonna meet you before you're a wolf- hey... actually he should meet you while you're still a human, huh? That makes more sense, doesn't it? You still have another hour and a half until you change, so that gives us time to make you look pretty again and time for you to get acquainted with the pack."

"Yeah, I would prefer to meet him while I'm still a human! Can I, um," Tino said, gesturing to the shirt and blushing, "smell that now?"

"Of course." Lukas said, handing him the shirt carefully and eyeing his reaction carefully.

Tino took it and shakily brought it up to his face. He shot an anxious glance at Lukas and closed his eyes to take a whiff.

Holy _shit._

Tino moaned at the deep, delicious chocolate scent coming off the shirt strongly. It wasn't a sweet smell, but rich and God dammit, Tino wanted to bury himself in this warm, gooey scent. He couldn't focus on anything but the way this smell made his stomach flip like a diver off a cliff, plunging into deep, dark nothingness.

"So, Tino, what do you think?" Lukas smirked, cutting through the thick silence like a knife through cold butter. Tino looked up at him quickly with dilated pupils and quick breaths falling from his parted lips.

"I want to see him now," Tino whispered, nose still pressed into the shirt, "I need to see him."

"Shh, let's go get you cleaned up. You don't want him to see you looking like a tree, hm?" he mused, picking another leaf out of Tino's hair, "You can borrow my clothes, they might be a little too big but I'm sure you'd prefer that over being naked."

Tino was whispering to himself, obviously not listening to Lukas's words. Lukas rolled his eyes and huffed, then pushed his arms under Tino's waist and the crook of his knees, picking him up roughly to carry him to the bathroom, "Come on, princess. You need to bathe before you see your prince."

"No! Aghh, Lukas! You made me drop his shirt!" Tino whined and looked over Lukas's shoulder at the crumpled fabric now resting on the floor, "Why didn't you tell me it would smell so good?!"

"I totally told you it would smell good, now shut up and strip," he said, placing Tino on the counter next to the sink and turning around to turn on the bathtub faucet so it would fill quickly. He turned back around to see Tino standing on shaky feet and with bright red cheeks.

"Don't look! You go back into the room and I'll clean myself up!" he said, playing with the hole in the side of his sweater with one hand and shooing Lukas out the door with the other.

"Alright, alright. Just get some clothes out of the dresser when you're done. I'll be back in about 20 minutes, okay?"

"That's good, now leave!" Tino whined, earning a laugh from Lukas as he walked out the door. Tino slowly pulled off his top, mindful of the bandages and especially of how much his body ached. He turned around to look at himself in the mirror and- wow. He looked like shit. Not too surprising, he thought, I've been through a lot today.

He pulled off his clothes slowly, in sharp contrast to how quickly his thoughts were moving in his mind. Hobbling over to the large tub, he got in and sighed dreamily at the warmth. Wading around in this calming bathwater was the last thing on his mind, but it helped to relax the other thoughts being thrown around. He leaned back so his hair got wet and he ran his hands through the water, letting it run through them delicately, and thought about the man whose scent was still making his heart beat fast.

He was so confused before, barely having any idea what to do with his emotions, but now everything seemed calm and like the Earth had finally, finally slid into place. He thought about Berwald as he poured some shampoo from a bottle that was resting on the ledge of the tub. He thought of how he wanted to curl up in that warm scent and never ever let go. His fingers twitched and he brought them up to rub the shampoo through his hair, giggling at the leftover leaves coming out.

How had he even felt panicked or scared before? He felt so, so happy he could barely stand it. He was going to be able to leave is sad, pathetic life behind and start a new one with his _pack_. He shook off the adrenaline building inside him at the thoughts of his new life and he smiled, leaning back to wash the shampoo out of his hair and the thoughts out of his mind.

Thoughts about Berwald stayed, however. Tino didn't really mind, he wanted to think about him forever. He thought back to the picture of him and his stomach twisted almost painfully. God, he was so nervous to meet him, but he couldn't even focus on the nerves, just the overwhelming need just to be with him.

He scrubbed the conditioner through his hair and smoothed the soap over his skin, going through the motions without even thinking about it. Soon, he didn’t have any more tasks at hand, so he climbed out of the tub, making a face at the dirty water. He hissed at the sudden coldness and the ache of his bones as he stretched so he hurriedly wrapped a big, fluffy towel around himself. He giggled when he remembered Lukas mentioning that he could be white and fluffy as a wolf. Rubbing a smaller towel quickly through his hair and walking out into the room again, he opened his mouth to say something to Lukas, but he wasn’t there. He looked around for a second, not sure what do until he shrugged and opened the dresser drawer to look for clothes that would fit him. Lukas was right, most of the clothes were at least a size too big for him, but he picked out the smallest clothes he could find- not before thoroughly smelling all the clothes that belonged to Berwald in the drawer- and pulled them on quickly. He sort of wished he could put on Berwald’s clothes, but if Lukas’s were going to be big on him, then Berwald’s were going to hang off him like a pillowcase on a rag doll. He put one of the discarded towels in the small hamper in the corner and sat on the bed to dry his hair completely with the other one.

He sat on the bed and combed his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth it down. His eyes moved around the room until they landed on Berwald’s shirt from earlier on the floor. His eyes widened and immediately scrambled down onto the carpet, sitting on the floor and holding to the shirt to his nose as quickly as he could. Letting the scent take over his senses, he leaned back so his knees were pulled up against his chest and the shirt was being held over his heart. Hiding a smile into the shirt, Tino sat up quickly so he could pull the plate of -now cold- pancakes and the picture frame towards him.

He felt silly doing this, but he was so caught up in his emotions he barely cared. Scarfing down the pancakes quickly wasn’t really good for his stomachache, but they were so delicious in his mouth that he didn’t care how they made his stomach feel. Once the plate was empty, he turned to look at the digital clock on the bedside table. 5:04 a.m. So he still had another hour before he changed into his wolf. He gripped the shirt tighter and tried to even out his breathing, shutting his eyes so he could focus.

After a few minutes of unsuccessful breathing exercises, he got antsy and stood up to place the plate, the shirt, and the picture frame back on the bedside table. He tiptoed over to the door and opened a crack to peek through, then walked out and closed it behind him. The racing thoughts were back as he walked slowly down the small hall he was in. What if he ran into someone that wasn’t Lukas or Emil? Oh God, what if he ran into _Berwald_? He paused and could feel the heat spreading around in his abdomen, making him feel mushy and just a little dizzy.

He took a few more steps forward on the cold hardwood floor until he could peek around a corner and was met with a view of Lukas being kissed roughly by a tall man he recognized as Mathias from the photo. His arms were wrapped around Lukas's hips tightly and Tino could see Lukas's fingers tangled in the other's messy hair. Tino blushed and cleared his throat, jumping when Lukas suddenly pushed Mathias off of him. Tino flinched when he thought Mathias would be angry, but he just stumbled back and turned to smile widely at him.

“You’re Tino!” he said, coming up quickly to Tino’s side and throwing a strong arm around his shoulder, almost knocking him down, “Nice to meet you, I’m Mathias! I’m the Al-”

“Did you already forget I already told him everything? Or are you too dumb to remember something I told you only last night?” Lukas walked so he was standing in front of them and he crossed his arms over his chest. He gave a slight smirk to a wide eyed Tino before fixing his hair pin and saying the words icily at Mathias, who barely seemed to notice.

“Hey, Tino, you smell really good! Like bubblegum or something! Kinda reminds me of cotton candy, maybe your wolf will be pink and fluffy instead of white and fluffy!” he laughed loudly and patted Tino on the head, ruffling his hair a little bit then moving back to Lukas so he could wrap his arms around his waist and look at Tino over his head, “It’ll be fun to have you here, man. Once you turn, we’ll all head out to your house and feed that dog of yours, eh?

Tino snapped out of his surprised silence when Mathias stopped talking to give him a charming, wide smile and he jumped to make words come out, "Oh! I- um, thank you! So much! For everything! It really means a lot to me, that you, uh, saved me!" he rambled, cheeks as red as a firetruck. He looked panickedly at Lukas and the boy sighed and pushed Mathias's arms off him so he could walk over to Tino's side.

“Okay, Tino, this is Mathias. He’s as stupid as I told you, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” he said, smirking at Mathias’s protesting whine behind him.

Tino's eyes shifted between the two quickly and nervously and settled on whispering quietly, “He seemed nice to me…”

“Ha! Hear that, Luke? He said I was nice! Looks like I’m Tino’s favorite now!” Mathias bellowed loudly and moved so his arm could be wrapped around a now completely frozen Tino’s shoulders again, “Ber might have some competition, hm?”

Tino immediately perked up at the name and turned quickly to Mathias’s grinning face, “Berwald?” he said quietly, hoping that the Alpha of a werewolf pack had secret mind reading abilities or something, so he could maybe get across just how _desperate_ he was to see Berwald. Mathias patted his head and laughed again and Tino was starting to see why Lukas said he was annoying because God could he do nothing but laugh and touch me?! Ugh!

"Emil and Berwald are still in the front yard, where I told everyone to stay until you turned, but Mathias doesn't have the best listening skills, so that's why he's in here."

"I got curious! You shouldn't keep things from your Alpha, ya know!"

"I'm not keeping anything from you, I just didn't want Tino to be too overwhelmed with everything. But he's taking it pretty well, better than Emil did at least..."

"Oh yeah! Tino, did you know that Emil ran away when he was turned? Obviously he didn't get very far, but still! He was pretty angry about this, huh? I'm glad you're not angry, that would suck so haaard," Mathias laughed and gave a weird pouty face to which both Tino and Lukas rolled their eyes at. Tino still felt very, very uncomfortable and he knew he was right on the urge of a panic attack or something, but these people genuinely seemed closer to him than he had ever felt to anyone before. Even family members never made him feel so safe. He felt like he could relax around them and be himself, something he hadn't felt around anyone in a long time.

"Can I see him? I-” he pressed, not willing to let go of the topic of his mate. He felt a little rude for ignoring the Emil anecdote, but he was sure he'd be excused for his rudeness on account that this was the man that turned him into demonic, scary creature that Tino was still not exactly was real.

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot about Ber, haha!” Mathias laughed and grabbed Tino’s hand so he could pull him forward, towards what looked like the front door, before Lukas's cold voice washed over them and froze them both in their tracks.

"And what do you think you're doing, hm, Mathias?" Lukas said, staring down Mathias and immediately the taller man dropped Tino’s hand like it burned him and slouched over so he was holding Lukas’s other hand instead of Tino’s, which Tino had no trouble with, mind you, but it still confused him greatly, “Tino still has things to do to get ready. I suggest you go outside again so we can finish our business together quickly.”

Mathias pushed a hand through his hair, though Tino thought the move made his hair look messier rather than neater, and sighed loudly while backing up a little, “Damn, Luke, so cold! I’ll go, I’ll go, and don’t worry Tino, I’ll tell Ber all about how cute and sweet you are!”

Tino immediately flushed and opened his mouth to say something but Lukas interrupted quickly, “You barely even got to see how cute and sweet he is, maybe you should shut up and let him talk next time. He only said a few words out here, hm, maybe he’s scared of you, he talked a lot to me when we were alone.”

Mathias gasped and gave a playful pout to Tino, “You’re scared of me?! That’s so sad! We could’ve been such good friends…”

Tino’s eyes widened dramatically and he shook his hands in front of him quickly, “No, no, no! I’m not scared of you at all! I would love to be very good friends with you! You are very kind and funny so far and I’m very sorry I made it seem like I am scared of you! I’m just nervous is all, I do-”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, dude! I know you’re not scared of me!” Mathias said, holding his hands up and smiling widely at Tino, “I know me and you will be really good friends, okay? No need to worry,” he gave two big thumbs up to a very, very frenzied Tino and he ran to the front door, pulling it open and yelling, “Two words to describe your mate, Ber! Super _fucking_ cute!”

Tino made a stupid, embarrassing noise but that didn’t even matter because what the _hell_ just happened?! His hands rose shakily to his face in a small attempt to cover the horrified expression there, but Lukas had already seen it and scoffed, “Told you he was stupid as hell. That was totally three words, not two." he looked back at Tino and raised an eyebrow, "You okay? Mathias is a lot to deal with, I know, but surely he didn't freak you out that much?"

"Berwald's gonna think I'm a total idiot!" he blurted out and Lukas rolled his eyes, "I mean...um, I just am not too sure he's going to like me? You and Mathias seem to think I am cute, which is very nice, but what about him? What if he thinks I'm ugly and that I talk too much? Oh gosh, what if you think that?! I'm so so sorry, I'm just really nervous t-"

"Tino, what the hell."

Tino squeaked and put his face in his hands, wishing the ground would swallow him up. He was such a blabbermouth! No wonder he didn't have any friends, he always scared them off with his dumb, useless talking! And now, his own stupid pack full of werewolves and such were gonna hate him because of it! He groaned and looked back up at Lukas, “I don’t want you guys to hate me, please don’t!”

“Tino, I don’t really think you understand the meaning of the words ‘pack’ or ‘mate’. This pack is your family, okay? You were meant to be with us, and we were all meant to be with you. It’s the most important thing in the world. It’s kinda like the mafia, eh? Like all to do with respect, loyalty, and family, or whatever,” he took a deep breath and met Tino’s eyes firmly, “Berwald is your mate. Your _soul_ mate. You were both born to fall in love and make each other happy and shit. He’s exactly everything you ever wanted and you’re exactly everything he’s ever wanted. There’s literally no reason to be nervous to meet him because no matter what happens, he’ll definitely think it’s great. Even if you throw up on his shoes or something.”

Tino looked at him with wide eyes and tried to calm down. and said in a small voice “I’m still scared. I guess I just want to make a good first impression on him…”

“Did you forget that he’s the one who carried you to the house after Mathias bit you?”

“What?!” he yelled, then immediately covered his mouth with his hands. Shit, he didn’t mean to be so loud but he was so embarrassed he could barely keep the exclamation in. He groaned and rubbed both his hands roughly through his hair, trying to calm himself down, “Why didn’t you tell me that?!” he whined.

“Thought I did. Now, come on, we need to brush your hair and teeth. Berwald may be in love with you, but he probably doesn’t want to kiss someone who hasn’t brushed his teeth.”

Tino blushed so hard he could feel it on his cheeks and he just wanted to go back to that bed and curl up in the soft sheets with Berwald’s shirt. He let himself be pulled back in the direction of the bedroom by Lukas’s strong grip on his wrist and jumped when the sound of the door shutting rang through the small room.

He turned to see Lukas smirking and leaning against the door, arms crossed over his chest in almost a smug way, “So, what do you think of Mathias?”

“Oh! He was very nice! He seems like a funny and sweet guy, I really look forward to getting to know him better!” Tino said earnestly, then smiled cheekily at Lukas, “Not to mention that he seems to be very in love with you! You guys are very cute together!”

Lukas rolled his eyes, but he looked very pleased as he uncrossed his arms and headed to the bathroom, “Well, we are mates, after all. Now come here and let me fix you, Your hair is...not looking as good as it could.”

Tino blushed and hurriedly tried to fix his bangs, but Lukas just gestured for him to sit on the bed and walked towards him with a blow dryer and hairbrush in his hands, “Don’t worry, this’ll only take about five minutes, I just need to completely dry it then brush the tangles out. You do want to make a good impression of Ber, don’t you?” he smirked and bent over to plug in the dryer.

“Of cour-” Tino was interrupted by the dryer wailing into his ears and making his already warm cheeks even warmer, he giggled and leaned forward so Lukas could get the back of his head. Tino relaxed for a few minutes, but gasped when a sudden strong pain surged through his stomach. He hurriedly looked up at Lukas for reassurance, but was only met with a sympathetic look while he reached over to unplug the dryer.

“Yeah, your body is gonna start feeling like absolute crap right about now. That means you have about 30-ish minutes before you change,” he said, running the brush quickly through Tino’s messy hair, “You ready to go officially meet Berwald?”

Tino whispered an affirmation and felt cold, nervous feelings bubble in his gut right next to the pain. He followed Lukas out the door quietly, but when they got to where they were standing outside the front door, Tino shot out a hand and stopped Lukas from moving any further, “I don’t think I can do this, Lukas…”

“Come on, Tino,” he sighed and patted his hand lightly, “It’ll be fine, man. The sooner you do it, the sooner it’ll be done, right?”

Before Tino could say anything in reply, Lukas opened the door and tugged him into the crisp morning air. Tino made another stupid, squeaking noise that caught the attention of the three men outside on the grass. Mathias looked up from where he was laying on the ground and waved happily at Lukas. As soon as Emil saw his brother, he hurried up the steps to the door and walked inside, saying something about being ‘fucking exhausted’ under his breath. But Tino wasn’t paying attention to any of that. His eyes were stuck on the very tall, _very_ handsome man staring at him from 15 feet away. When their eyes met, Tino's mouth opened in a small gasp and his heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. It felt like both fire and ice were running through his veins at once and he was feeling so fucking _much_ , he could barely feel anything. God, he wanted to run over and bury his dumb face in Berwald's chest and be protected and cared for all by this magical, handsome, stoic stranger.

Tino's breath hitched when Lukas and Mathias bumped into his side on their way to the door and he didn't even realize either of them had moved, he was so out of it. He thought he saw Mathias give him a cheesy grin and another double thumbs up before he closed the door, but he wasn't sure. His hands were frozen by his sides and he felt so awkward and nervous. Tino saw Berwald's red cheeks and almost laughed at how cute this guy was, no matter how much that off-putting glare was apparent on his face.

He didn't even notice he was stumbling forward until he realized he was so close he could see an eyelash on the tall man’s cheek. He startled and jumped back a foot, hurrying to say something, _anything_ , to not seem like a total freak in front of possibly the hottest man in all of Europe who was apparently in love with him, oh _God_ , “I-ah, I’m sorry! I’m Tino! It’s nice to meet you!” he paused, stuck between not wanting to say more so he wouldn’t annoy the other man, but wanting to never stop talking to him for the rest of his life. He decided to go with the more realistic option and shut his mouth.

"I’m Berwald. Nice to meet you too, Tino."

  
And, just like that, Tino understood everything Lukas had said about mates. He understood the importance of the whole situation, how important this man was to him. He was so confused earlier about how people could fall in love so easily, but God, he _felt_ it. He felt how Berwald’s deep voice saying his name immediately made his throat dry and his heart speed up. He felt the need to touch the taller man make him dizzy with the sheer intensity of it. Touching him seemed like a dream, but then again, this whole night had seemed like a dream, so Tino reached up slowly and picked the eyelash gently off his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaah im sorry about the weird ending D:!! its the only place i could end it and still have the next chapter work the way i want it to aaahhhhhh!!!!!!!
> 
> i really hope you enjoyed!! next chapter will have TONS of nordic pack fun >:D
> 
> again, my tumblr is ieroscarecrow.tumblr.com if you want to get in touch with me!!! ciao!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me just say, im very VERY sorry about this chapter being so late. i have a lot of excuses but ill just sum it all up in two words: computer troubles :(
> 
> the good news though: this chapter almost doubles the word count of the story!!! at least theres that :) hope you enjoy!!!!
> 
> happy late bday to poland!!!!

“Ber, I swear, he’s so adorable! You’ll love him so much!” Mathias exclaimed to Berwald from where he was laying like a starfish in front of the house. The house that currently held his _mate._

 

“I think he already does, look at that dopey look on his face,” Emil said tiredly, leaning against the wooden rail for support.

 

Berwald put his face in his hands and mumbled, “It’s not every day you find your mate, you know. I think I’m allowed to have a dopey look, whatever that means.”

 

“Especially such a cute one like Tino!” Mathias yelled, throwing a fist full of grass at Berwald’s legs.

 

“Should I be angry that you keep calling him cute?” Berwald said, taking his hands away from his face and giving Mathias a look. A look that hopefully gave a ‘don’t mess with my mate’ vibe. But knowing his Alpha, he’d probably think it was just a friendly expression.

 

“Of course not, bud! I’m just trying to get you hyped to meet him, is all!”

 

“I'm plenty hyped," he scoffed and moved away a couple steps so his Mathias couldn't throw any more grass at him, "Just because I'm not yelling and rolling around on the ground like you doesn’t mean I’m not excited.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You sure are the ‘suffer in silence’ type, huh?” Mathias mused, then shot his arms into the air directly above him, pointing both index fingers at Berwald accusingly, “And I’m not even rolling! You wanna see rolling?! THIS is rolling!”

 

He immediately started rolling around and laughing hysterically on the ground, sending the blades of grass he’d ripped up flying to the air around him. Emil and Berwald just stared.

 

Emil sighed and rested his head on his head, fingers playing with a strand of his light hair, “I wonder what they’re doing that’s taking so long. I’m so tired, I wanna go take a nap before we have to show him around the territory.”

 

Berwald couldn’t really agree with him, he was way too excited to finally meet the guest of honor. He was practically shaking with nerves and the little piece of fabric from Tino’s sweater that Lukas had given him earlier was burning a hole in his back pocket. Sleep wasn’t going to come until he knew Tino was happy and safe. Would Tino hate them for forcing him to become a werewolf? Would he hate Berwald even if he wasn’t mad over the turn? So many questions were running through his mind that he felt sort of dizzy.

 

He wanted to go back to asking Mathias for more details of Tino, but was interrupted by the front door slamming open and Lukas dragging out said boy roughly. Berwald’s heart caught in his throat at his mate’s adorable surprised noise and he had to hold back a snarl at how tight Lukas's grip had been on his arm. He could’ve died happy when their eyes finally met. He had to force himself to breathe, but even then the air came out of his mouth in a quiet gasp. The only time he looked away from the beautiful violet eyes and rosy red cheeks was when Mathias walked in front of his view to get to the front door, doing something with his hands that made Lukas roll his eyes and drag him inside after Emil.

 

They stared at each other for about a minute, lost in each other completely, before Tino suddenly started taking small, slow steps toward him. His heart fluttered as he watched the boy move, so graceful, even if he stumbled a little on the couple stairs. He was as light as the air gently blowing around them. He really had no idea how he was ever expected to keep his hands off someone so beautiful.

 

Tino stopped about six inches in front of Berwald, looking up at him with wide, sparkly eyes and Berwald couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t do _anything_. Tino's hair caught the sunlight flitting in through leave beautifully, and it took everything he had not to reach out and run his fingers through it. He looked so innocently beautiful and Berwald swore he could almost _smell_ him from their close proximity. But maybe that was just his imagination. He was so caught up in drinking in this boy’s beauty and trying to hold himself back from doing something weird, he was startled by Tino coming to his senses and jumping away from Berwald like he was a sudden flame.

 

He looked completely frazzled and Berwald could almost feel the nervous energy coming off of him. Berwald could relate, though. He was surprised Tino wasn’t disgusted at how much he was probably sweating. Tino eyes moved frantically around Berwald’s face before he blurted out, “I-ah, I’m sorry! I’m Tino! It’s nice to meet you!”

 

Berwald's heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. He didn't quite know how interacting with your mate would feel, and he was pretty worried when Mathias’s description had been along the lines of ‘just wanting to pound them into the ground!’ because that was just a little too embarrassing for him. But now he was starting to think that was just a Lukas and Mathias thing, because the only thing he wanted to do to Tino right now was wrap him in a million warm blankets and protect him from anything that _dared_ come near him. Maybe the ‘pounding’ would come later, but he honestly didn’t even care about that, he just wanted to touch and love and _worship_ this angel standing right in front of him.

 

“I’m Berwald. Nice to meet you too, Tino.” God, just saying his name out loud made his heart beat faster. Tino's mouth dropped open and he looked so sweetly surprised that Berwald felt nervous. Was he scaring him? He desperately didn't want that, so he racked his brain for something to say to ease the tension. By the time he decided on something that wasn’t completely stupid and was about to say it, he was stopped by Tino's small hand reaching up towards his face. His cheek burned where two delicate fingers touched it. The touch left as quickly as it came and Berwald stared with wide eyes at Tino’s nervous expression and slightly shaky fingers holding- was that an eyelash?

 

The small eyelash sat on the tip of his finger for a second before being carried away by the breeze. Tino flushed deeply and his mouth opened and closed, looking for words that simply wouldn't come. They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds before Berwald cleared his throat and looked away and said in a low voice, "Did you, um...did you like the pancakes?" That was a normal question, right? He just wanted to know what he thought of the food that he made him! Unless Tino actually hates breakfast foods… or, even worse, what if he was allergic to pancakes?! That would be humiliating! Or, what i-

 

“Oh! They were so delicious! The best pancakes I’ve ever had, honest!” he said, looking a little manic, smiling up at Berwald earnestly and twisting his fingers together in front of his stomach, “I try to make pancakes sometimes at home, but they always turn out so flat and burned! I don’t know if I’m using too much of something or too little of something, but every single time I attempt to make pancakes, they are always gross!” he took a deep breath, then looked bashfully at his hands, “I’m sorry, ah… when I’m nervous I tend to talk a lot!”

 

Berwald was absolutely _enchanted_. How he ended up with the most adorable and sweet person in the world for a mate, he would never, ever know. He could only blankly stare at Tino for a few seconds before mumbling, "Nothing to be nervous about. I could show you how I made them sometime, if you'd like me to."

 

Tino immediately brightened and gave a dazzling smile to a completely frozen Berwald, “Oh, that would be really great! I'm not a very good cook, but I’m sure if you are the one teaching me, I might get better-” he cut himself off and looked surprised at the flirty tone he was using. Berwald's fingers twitched and he wanted nothing more than to touch the bright red cheeks in front of him. These pauses in their conversation should have felt awkward, but they weren't, really. Sure there was heavy tension surrounding them, but that was understandable. This was a very intense moment, after all. They stared at each other for a second before the shorter man spoke again.

 

"I, um, I really like to bake, though! And I'm pretty good at it too! Well, I like to think so, anyway." Tino said, smiling kindly at Berwald, but still wringing his fingers together nervously.

 

So this is what love feels like, Berwald thought. He rubbed his neck a little and gave his best attempt at a smile to the small boy in front of him. When said boy smiled even wider than before, Berwald's heart fluttered and the happy expression was easier to make. He wanted to reach out and pull Tino to his chest, protect him, _kiss_ him.

 

"I'd like to try some of your food," he said, never hating his inability to speak what he thought more. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out. Tino was still smiling with that cute blush on his face, so he considered his attempt at nice words a win. Tino looked up at him with his long eyelashes fluttering, and suddenly, touching him didn't seem like such a fantasy. Maybe he could be a little more obvious with his feelings if his mate was going to flirt like this. It couldn't hurt, right? He decided to take a chance and reach out to push some hair out of the other's eyes, but before his hand could even move, Tino's eyes widened and he doubled over with a small gasp. Berwald immediately reached out and put his hands on his waist to keep him from falling, supporting his weight with one hand and lowering him to his knees slowly. He couldn't even be distracted by how _right_ it felt to touch Tino here, not when the sharp, painful sounding coughs were racking his body like that.

 

Tino looked up at him weakly and said, “I’m sorry… Lukas said it would hurt a lot before I change, so I guess I’m about to change? It really hurt-” he was cut off abruptly by a loud series of coughs. He covered his mouth with both his hands and leaned into Berwald’s chest. Berwald could barely even blush because when Tino quickly pulled away, and he had small drops of blood on his hands. He was coughing up _blood_. Turning for the first time was an extremely painful experience, one that Berwald would never forget, but there was never _blood_ involved. All Berwald's instincts yelled at him to protect and take care of him, so that’s what he did. He placed gentle hands on the small of his back and the crook of his knees and lifted him bridal style, hurrying him up the steps to the front door. The door slammed open before he reached it and Lukas came running out, took one look at the blood dotting Tino’s chin and ran back inside, gesturing for Berwald to follow.

 

“What happened?” Berwald was snapped out of his fixed gaze on Tino’s face by Lukas's voice to find himself in the same room he had left Tino in last night. He drew the boy closer to his chest without realizing it and Lukas rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers impatiently, “Come on, put him on the bed! And tell me what happened!”

 

Berwald was barely paying attention to him though, he was solely focused on the way Tino was whimpering and clutching his shirt tightly in his hands. So _cute_. He was barely conscious, but still. He jumped a little when Lukas clapped his hands in front of his face and almost yelled, “Berwald, let’s go! Set him down! I’m not going to fucking make you leave, just put him down so I can check on him!

 

He finally snapped out of it when he heard that he wouldn’t have to leave his mate again, and rushed him over to the bed, setting him down as gently as possible. He moved to quickly get to the other side of the bed so he could sit with Tino, but a small hand grabbing the bottom of his shirt stopped him. Tino blinked up at him and said in a scratchy voice, “I don’t want you to leave…”

 

Berwald tried to ignore the feeling of electricity on his skin and gently pried Tino’s fingers from his shirt so he could move as quickly as possible to the other side of the queen sized bed. He immediately took his hands again and Lukas rushed forward to pull up his shirt to check on the wound on his side, showing Tino’s pale stomach and delicious hips, oh _God_. Berwald gulped and Lukas scoffed, “You guys are gonna be fucking gross as hell, aren’t you? The cutest couple ever, I can already tell.”

 

Mathias came in the room then, before either of the other two could stammer out an answer, asking loudly how ‘his little patient’ was doing and Berwald could’ve lunged at him right then. Lukas made an annoyed noise and said to Berwald, loud enough for the Alpha to still hear, “You know what else is fucking gross? How Mathias couldn’t control himself last night and now Tino is going through unnecessary pain right before he changes because his side wounds haven’t healed all the way yet.”

 

Mathias’s mouth opened in shock and he hurried over to Lukas’s side, worriedly looking at the mostly healed, but still red claw marks taking up almost half of Tino’s abdomen, “Oh shit, will he be okay? Oh God, I didn’t mean to! I’m such a bad Alpha, how could I let this happen?!” he looked absolutely horrified with himself and Berwald’s anger subsided a little. He really did have too much of a soft spot for his pack.

 

Lukas rolled his eyes and pressed his hand against Mathias’s shoulder, “He’ll be fine, dumbass. Both of you stop worrying so much, Jesus. We’re gonna be a pack full of old farts with tons of worry wrinkles while every other pack still looks young and pretty.”

 

Mathias began to say something along the lines of ‘you’ll always be pretty’, but immediately shut his mouth when he heard Tino whisper, “There are other packs?” up at Berwald.

 

“Tell you later,” he said back, caught up in the way Tino looked up at him so sweetly. He hesitantly raised his hand to push some of his mate’s mussed hair out of his eyes and when Tino smiled brightly and nuzzled his cheek into his hand, both Lukas and Mathias scoffed this time.

 

“You guys are gonna be so good together, it's so obvious,” Lukas said, checking Tino’s arm wound now, “Me and Mathias fucking hated each other when we first met."

 

"Not true! You just didn't want to accept my love, baby!" he said, pushing his face into Lukas's side and earning a small pat to the head, "Eventually you fell for my charm, though. I'm too irresistible!" he smiled cheekily.

 

Tino let out a small giggle but it was interrupted by another racking cough, “Ugh, guys… I don’t even wanna be a werewolf if it hurts this much…”

 

Berwald’s heart tugged at his chest and he scratched Tino’s head a little, petting it gently and letting his fingers travel through it softly. He was so beautiful, Berwald could hardly stand it. He still could barely keep up with what was happening right now, but what he was absolutely sure of was that he never expected having a mate to feel this _good_. He’d obviously known it was a pretty great feeling, but this overwhelming surge of protectiveness and _love_ for this boy he just met was sort of jarring. Still though, he felt like going with his instincts was what was best right now, so he continued to move his fingers through Tino’s hair and listen to Mathias and Lukas leave the room, Lukas insisting that Berwald called for him as soon as Tino changed. Now he was alone with Tino, he could be a little more affectionate, without worrying about Mathias or Lukas calling it out.

 

He felt so awkward though, damn it! He almost felt like one of those nerds with the crush on the popular guy in those stupid teen movies that Mathias insisted they all see every time one came to theaters. Well, if the popular guy was a sweet, precious _angel_ like Tino was turning out to be. He desperately didn’t want to seem boring in front of his mate so he said the first thing that came to mind, “What’s your dog’s name?”

 

Tino open his eyes and blinked up at him blearily, then broke into a weak smile, “Hanatamago! I know it’s sorta weird, but I think it’s cute…” he trailed off, biting his lip and looking bashfully up at Berwald. It was all he could do to not kiss him right then and there.

 

“It is cute. Just like you,” okay, where the hell did that come from?! He didn’t mean to say that, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to regret it when it made Tino blush like that. Tino opened his mouth to reply, but his words caught in his throat and he coughed again, blood showing up on his palm again. He hurriedly sat up, trying to get in a position where he could breathe properly through his coughs, and Berwald felt as though it was himself going through the physical pain his mate was experiencing. He didn't know how to show his sympathy, though, so he just fretted quietly next to him. When the coughing was over, and Tino was drinking the glass of water that had come with his breakfast, he said in a whisper, "Are you okay?"

 

"Ughhh, no! It hurts so bad!" Tino winced and gave a small smile to Berwald, "I guess it'll all be worth it, if I get to have such cool pack mates,"

 

Berwald was so _conflicted_. Was Tino meaning to sound so flirty?! He wanted to voice all the thoughts in his head, but he couldn't quite get them to leak out. He wasn't used to having a relationship with another person where he had to (or even _wanted_ to) show his feelings outwardly towards them. His pack always knew how he was feeling and what he was thinking, quite literally sometimes. He didn't know if he could flirt back with his beautiful mate just yet. Even if he could, would Tino be creeped out by him flirting back? What if this was just how he talked to everyone? Berwald didn't think he could handle it if Mathias got to see this adorable, flirty smile too.

 

"Berwald," Tino paused and a very prominent red covered his cheeks, "I don't really know how, um, mates are supposed to work, but I'm glad you're mine," he said the last word so quietly Berwald could barely hear it. But he _did_ hear it and this gut-wrenching, adoring feeling was enough to make him feel dizzy. Thinking something like 'fuck it', he carefully took Tino’s small hand in his, mindful of the blood drying on his palm, and rubbed the back of his hand soothingly, trying to calm him down and secretly marveling at how _big_ his hand was in comparison. He couldn’t ignore the way things were going anymore. He couldn’t ignore the electric touch of their skin or the sweet, sweet smell of his mate that made him want to bury his face in his soft hair. He definitely couldn’t ignore Tino’s pretty eyes looking up at him so trustingly.

 

“I’m glad you’re my mate too. I,” he started, then connected their fingers so they were holding hands now. Tino’s blush was gorgeous and it gave him the courage to mumble out his next words, “I think I got pretty lucky, you’re really beautiful.”

 

He squeezed his eyes shut at Tino’s intake of breath and let his head fall so he couldn’t see the unflattering red covering his cheeks. He was embarrassed to say it out loud, but he was glad he’d gotten it out. Now Tino knew how he felt. Sort of, at least. ‘Beautiful’ didn’t really cover how he felt towards his mate, but it was a good start. He startled when he felt a hand on his cheek and looked up to a big, bright smile and wide, disbelieving eyes, “Oh gosh, thank you so much! That’s really sweet of you, I appreciate it a lot,” his eyes turned hopeful now and he leaned forward a little so he could whisper in his ear, making Berwald grip his hand tighter, “I think I’m the lucky one.”

 

Berwald’s heart caught in his throat and his reply caught there too when Tino leaned his head in the crook of his shoulder and giggled softly, whispering about how good he smelled. Berwald was frozen in his spot, his mind yelling at him to say something and his heart arguing that he shut up and _touch him, touch him, touch him_. He closed his eyes and leaned his head down so his cheek was resting against Tino’s head. God, this was so _intimate_ and he craved it so bad. He turned his nose so it was buried in the other’s hair and, still holding onto his hand, breathed heavily so his scent finally graced his body with it’s presence again.

 

As soon as it hit his nostrils and registered as the same scent that he followed last night, he let out an embarrassing but uncontrollable groan and gripped his mate's hand in his as tightly as he could without being too rough. He drowned himself in the dizzying scent and now that he could completely focus all his attention on it, his stomach twisted painfully in protectiveness, love, desire, and various other emotions he didn’t even know he was capable of. He could even pick up underlying tones in the scent that he hadn’t before. Like a pepperminty one that, when combined with the sugar cookie dough and honey scents rolling off of him in waves, reminded him of the holidays. Holidays with his parents that he barely remembered, just a few quiet gift exchanges when he was a child, centuries ago. Holidays when it was just he and Mathias, living in poverty and losing track of the days, only recognizing it was Christmas time by the dropping of the temperatures. Holidays after Lukas and Emil joined the pack, full of laughter, joy, and feeling like he belonged. It made him think of holidays to come, surrounded by not only his pack, but his _mate_. His beautiful, kind, sweet mate who was currently burying his nose in his neck and letting out cute little laughs that made Berwald's chest tighten.

 

“What do I smell like to you? Mathias said I smell like bubblegum! I hope I smell good, it would be really embarrassing if I didn’t…” Tino laughed into his neck, shivers shooting down Berwald’s spine when he could feel his smile right under his ear.

 

“You smell like Christmas,” he whispered back without thinking, then blushing like a madman when Tino picked up his head so he could look at him directly in the eyes. Berwald’s breath caught in his throat at how close he was, and his eyes flickered over his features rapidly like he had to memorize them. His cheeks, his eyes, his nose, his _lips_ , everything was so close and he jumped a little when Tino spoke.

 

“I do really love Christmas, so I guess it only makes sense that I smell like it,” he giggled but it was broken by more coughing. Tino shook his hand out of Berwald’s grip so he could cover his mouth and turn away quickly. More blood appeared on his hands, but the coughing didn’t stop this time. Tino looked at him with a worrying pained expression and whispered in between coughs, “I think I’m gonna change now.”

 

Oh shit.

 

Berwald’s eyes widened as Tino stood shakily off the bed, just to fall to his knees on the floor. He shot off the bed and kneeled next to his mate. It was finally happening, oh God, what shoudl he do? Tino’s whimpers meant he was in pain and the hypothesis was confirmed when Berwald saw a wet trail of tears on his mate’s soft cheeks. The tears broke him out of his frozen spot and he quickly picked Tino up bridal style for the third time and set him back on the bed as gently as possible. He was sweating, crying, and blood was splattered on his pretty pink lips, but he still looked beautiful.

 

Tino moaned on the bed and Berwald shot back into action, practically running out the door and ripping Lukas away from where he was kissing Mathias in the hallway. He looked annoyed for a second, but once he took a look at Berwald’s uncharacteristically panicked face, he crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “He’s changing, huh?”

 

How could he be so calm?! He could hear Tino’s gasps even now that he was outside the room and it was driving him up the fucking wall with worry. He simply nodded curtly and hoped Lukas could feel the ‘I hate you I hate you I hate you’ vibes he was currently throwing his way. He loved his pack, he really did, but was now the time to act all cool?! Lukas hummed a little and let Mathias fix his hair pin for him, “Well, we should let him do it by himself, I guess. If he screams or something, then we’ll rush in. The smell of blood coming from the room isn’t that comforting, but he’ll be fine, probably.”

 

Berwald’s eye twitched, “If you aren’t going to do anything to help him, why’d you want me to call you when he started to change?”

 

“Hm? Oh, I just wanted to know because I was curious. Besides,” he replied coolly, “there’s nothing I could do to help him. He’ll be fine, Ber. If I was worried, I’d be in there with him.”

 

Mathias laughed and slid his arm around Lukas’s shoulder, “Ber, come on! I understand how you feel, but Tino’s strong! He can handle this, man,” he gave him a sympathetic look, “I’m actually pretty worried too, honestly. I don’t want the newest member of our pack to be in pain almost as much as you do!”

 

“He is in pain, though. And it’s mostly your fault, Mathias,” Lukas said, tapping his finger on his mate’s arm, “If only you had been able to control yourself…”

 

Mathias whined and let his head drop pathetically on Lukas’s shoulder, “God, don’t remind me.”

 

Anger flared in Berwald’s stomach at his pack’s casual demeanor and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He knew they were acting calm so Berwald could calm down too, but that didn’t make the situation any less annoying. His mate was in there bleeding and crying and they barely even seemed to care! He huffed and stalked back to the room, feeling slightly like a petulant child arguing with his (disturbingly horny) parents, and opened the door softly.

 

There was a flash of white and suddenly Berwald had a small body rubbing itself on his legs. He looked down to see a startling white and surprisingly fluffy wolf pressing its nose into Berwald’s lower thigh.

 

Tino.

 

He kneeled quickly so he could fill the need to be with him even a little and the wolf pressed its nose into his chest now, and Berwald almost changed right then and there. Startled that he could barely control himself, he struggled to get a grip. Both his hands shakingly pet the spot behind his mate’s ears. Tino’s tail started wagging and Berwald spoke, words fumbling out of his mouth like they never had before, but granted, he’d never been nervous or desperate like this either, “There’s one more thing you should know about, um, this.”

 

He used one hand to nervously push his glasses up on his nose and the other to continue to pet the soft, warm fur currently sending sparks into his heart. He cleared his throat softly, “When we’re in our wolf forms, we can communicate through thoughts. It take a little getting used to, but it definitely comes in handy. I just… wanted to tell you that so it didn’t startle you when you could hear my voice even when we aren’t human,” he was rambling, and he almost laughed at how unlike himself he was being, but a laugh would’ve been even more out of character, “I- um, are you in pain?”

 

Tino pulled back and started walking around him in happy, excited circles. God, he was almost as cute as a wolf as he was as a human. His tail was wagging very fast and he was sniffing along the collar of Berwald’s shirt. His skin tingled when the wet nose touched it and he completely gave up holding back anymore. He took off his glasses quickly and let himself succumb to the almost painful urges he’d been feeling since the moment he smelled the sweet, sugary scent of his mate. He didn’t even care about the clothes he was currently ruining, because those could easily be replaced, but time spent with his mate was precious. Especially after waiting centuries for it.

 

His bones shifted under his skin as he changed into his wolf form, and even though he hadn’t felt serious pain from changing in a long time, he winced thinking about Tino having to go through this for the first time. And he was still acting cute and excited, _God_ , Berwald was so infatuated already.

 

When the transformation was complete, Tino’s scent hit him like a truck. It completely overwhelmed him and he even staggered a little. Tino made a small whimpering noise and pressed his nose up against his flank. Now that Berwald had fully changed, Tino’s thoughts had entered his mind, buzzing around like sweet, honey-colored butterflies.

 

 _‘Ohhh, he smells so good and he’s so handsome! He’s even a pretty wolf, I can’t believe this! I wonder if he’d be mad if I just laid down on top of him for, like, ever…’_ Berwald was sure that he were a human still, his mouth would be hanging open stupidly. Tino was so _precious._

 

He was so glad he’d quickly figured out how to only let his pack hear the thoughts he wanted them to, because he’d probably die of embarrassment if Tino could hear even half of what he was thinking right now. Especially with his smell surrounding him and his body so _close_. Tino was currently pressing his head against Berwald’s shoulder and leaning into him and it was so similar to their previous position that he was sure his mate could hear the hummingbird beat of his heart.

 

 _‘Tino,'_ he said, smiling inwardly at how Tino jumped at the voice entering his head, _‘we should go out there now,’_

 

A million rushed and surprised thoughts ran in Tino’s mind and Berwald shushed him, _‘Calm down, Tino. Focus on what you want to say and then that’s all I’ll hear, okay? The more panicked and unfocused you are, the more I hear.’_

 

Tino backed away a couple steps and sheepishly looked up at Berwald. His thoughts slowed until they were mostly concealed, but a few still leaked out of their mental barrier. Berwald tried to sooth Tino by saying calming things, _‘We’re going to show you around the territory in...well, whenever you’re ready. Then, we’ll go to your house so Lukas can feed Hanatamago. Tomorrow, once you change back into a human, we can go get your stuff so you can officially move in with us. Unless you don’t wa-’_

 

 _‘I want to!’_ Tino’s loud exclamation cut him off and he looked with wide eyes at Berwald, _‘This is all so weird, I want to be around people who make me feel safe! I mean, look at me! I have a tail!_ ’ he spun around, trying to catch his tail like pet dog.

 

God, he’s so _cute_. Even when he’s freaking out. Berwald started to say something, but Tino moved forward so he was sitting directly at Berwald’s side and his words halted. It felt so right to have him there that he couldn’t help but lean over and give the spot in between Tino’s ears a quick lick. It was Tino who broke the silence, _‘I like being here with you.’_

The thought came and went quickly, and it shot through Berwald’s heart and mind like an arrow, settling deep in his stomach. Tino wasn’t looking at him or speaking, and Berwald wished they were in their human forms so he could see the pretty blush that he’d already begun to love. He shook the thoughts from his head and stood up. They might as well get going, today was going to be a long day. He turned and nudged Tino’s shoulder with his nose, urging him to follow as he walked out the door.

 

As soon as they stepped into the light of the hallway, Tino was all but tackled by Mathias, who was cooing like one would to a puppy, “Awww! I totally told all of you! I knew he was going to be white and fluffy, I knew it!” he ruffled Tino’s fur and Berwald tried to ignore the urge to obsessively shelter Tino behind him. He briefly wondered if Tino heard his thoughts, because he was slowly shifting closer to him, but then he realized that he was probably uncomfortable with Mathias petting him like that. The way his ears were folded back just confirmed his suspicion. Why was their Alpha so stupid?! Couldn’t he tell Tino didn’t want him to touch him?!

 

 _‘Do you not want him to touch you?’_ he asked tentatively, praying he wasn’t about to embarrass himself. Tino whipped his head around to look at Berwald and he looked surprised, so he quickly elaborated, _‘You just seem...uncomfortable.’_

 

 _‘Can they...not hear us right now?’_ he asked, letting his eyes flicker to Mathias, who was still cluelessly petting Tino, and Lukas, who was looking pretty amused.

 

Berwald shook his head and Tino sighed and looked sheepishly up at Berwald, _‘Alright, I guess it’s not really my favorite thing...’_

 

“Haha, this is actually really funny! Berwald is so big and Tino is so tiny! Dude, Tino, man, you’re like half the size of Ber! I wonder what it’ll look like when you guys have sex! Hm, maybe I can watc-”

 

Berwald snarled and Mathias looked up with laughter in his eyes. He hated letting himself get riled up by Mathias’s stupid comments, but when he spoke about his mate in such a disrespectful manner, he couldn’t help but lose his temper. Ugh, these weird surges of protectiveness were going to be the death of him!

 

“You guys are so fucking idiotic. Let’s go already, I’m bored,” Lukas said, yanking Mathias in his direction by his hair, “Tino, I hope you have your walking shoes on, because our territory is pretty big.”

 

 _‘Wolves….wear...shoes?’_ Tino’s adorably confused voice filled his mind once again and his heart just about burst.

 

_‘No, Tino. Wolves don’t wear shoes.’_

 

Tino’s giggle rang through his ears even a few minutes later when they found themselves standing outside, waiting for the rest of their pack to change into their wolf forms again. Tino sat closely by him, occasionally asking him nervous questions about the rest of members of the pack.

 

 _‘I just feel like he doesn’t like me! He’s practically glaring at me!’_ Tino cried, glancing at a sleepy Emil behind him. He scooted so he was pressed right against Berwald’s side and sighed, _‘why doesn’t he like meeee?’_

 

 _‘I think he’s just tired. He’s always in a bad mood after he just wakes up,’_ Berwald replied, letting Tino rub his cheek on his shoulder like a cat, _‘I’m sure he likes you. I mean, what’s not to like, I guess.’_

 

Berwald could feel Tino’s tail wagging next to him and he looked away quickly. Tino’s laugh filled his head, _‘You’re so sweet, thank you!’_

 

Berwald didn’t answer, but just gave him a quick lick on the head. They looked across the yard to where Lukas and Mathias were arguing over where to take Tino first. It wasn’t really an argument, Lukas looked too bored and Mathias was smiling too hard, but it was still wasting time, so Berwald wasn’t really bothered when Emil snapped behind him, “I’m sick of just standing here, you guys need to just decide already so we can go. It’s not like it matters where we go first anyway.”

 

“Fine," Lukas spat at a grinning Mathias, “we can do it your way, Mr. Big-Shot Alpha Man.”

 

“Aww, babe,” he cooed back, grinning and rubbed a hand through Lukas's hair, “You don’t have to be so formal! Big-Shot Alpha Man is fine!”

 

Lukas scoffed and walked over to place his hair pin on the rail next to where Berwald put his glasses, then turned around so he could start to undress. Tino looked up at Berwald again, _‘You know, they’re kinda cute if you ignore how much Lukas glares at him!’_

 

 _‘Yeah, you don’t see it much, but they really do love each other,’_ Emil’s voice sounded in their minds now, making them both turn around in surprise to look at the wolf behind them. Berwald was particularly surprised though, how had he not noticed him change?! He was a little embarrassed that he was so caught up in Tino’s warm body next to his that he didn’t even notice a member of his own pack change right behind him.

 

Before either of them could reply, Mathias was bounding over to their group on four legs, with Lukas quickly changing and following behind him slowly. Mathias ran over and threw himself at Berwald, who luckily managed not be tackled onto Tino, who definitely would’ve been crushed by two wolves twice his size falling on top of his already injured body. Speaking of his injuries, Lukas was coming up on Tino’s opposite side to lightly sniff his still unhealed wound, then asked, _‘Does it hurt?’_

 

_‘Honestly, my whole body hurts so much, I can’t tell if it’s the scratches that hurt or if it’s my ribs...’_

 

 _‘Ahhhh, I’m sorry, Tino! I really, really didn’t mean to!’_ Mathias yelped, rushing over to frantically lick Tino’s shoulder, _‘Please don't hate me!’_

 

 _'No, no, I don't hate you at all!’_ he replied hurriedly, but still scooted so he was almost hiding behind Berwald.

 

Berwald approved of this greatly and gladly accepted his role as Tino's shield from a way over friendly Alpha. He growled a little at Mathias and Lukas rolled his eyes and said, _'Tino, you'll be fine. Our mates are just worrywarts.'_

 

There it was again, that word. _Mates_. Berwald could feel Tino’s intake of breath and felt him shift a little closer to him and answer in a small, shy voice, _‘I think it’s cute...’_

 

 _‘Not really, it’s pretty annoying. I remember once, I fell through a stupid hole and broke my leg and Mathias didn’t leave me alone at all until it completely healed_ two weeks _later. It healed quickly because I'm a werwolf and all, but still. It was so stupid, he’s annoying as hell.'_

 

Mathias whined and pawed at the ground, _‘Lukaaaas! I was worried! I hate seeing you hurt!’_

 

Lukas just turned around and walked towards the grassy decline into the thicket of trees. He gestured with his tail for everyone to follow him, _‘Whatever, let’s go. I’m tired and wanna get this done by noon.’_

_‘Oh, no, no! If everyone’s really tired, I don’t want to make you all go out of your way for me!’_ Tino said, walking timidly by Berwald’s strong side.

 

 _‘No worries, dude! We all definitely want to show you around! Besides,’_ he said, his voice dropping into the low, cocky tone that Berwald heard -and was annoyed by- every day, _‘we didn’t get to hunt last night.’_

 

He broke into a sprint through the looming trees, racing heavily through the tall grass. Emil followed, running not as fast but a thousand times more gracefully. Lukas thought a couple swear words at them, but quickly chased after them, _‘Ber, Tino, come on. We’re gonna show you around the lake first.’_

 

 _‘Yeah! Plus, I have a ton of questions, Tino!’_ Mathias said happily, _‘Let’s play 20 questions! Tino, you ask us questions and then we ask you some!’_

 

Tino struggled to keep up, in more ways than one. He was hurrying to keep up with Lukas’s quick run and he could barely understand Mathias’s words when he yelled them like that in his thick accent. Berwald felt bad, his pack could be pretty inconsiderate sometimes. He slinked closely to his small mate’s body, making sure all this movement wasn’t hurting his wound or making him too tired. Tino blinked gratefully up at him and answered Mathias as cheerfully as he could in his confusion, _‘Um, okay! Can I go first?’_

 

 _‘That counts as your first question!’_ Mathias guffawed and Lukas, who had caught up to him, must have kicked him, because he then thought, _‘Ow, babe!’_

 

_‘Shut up, Mathias. Tino, ask your question.’_

 

After almost tripping over a rock, Tino answered, _‘Hmm… oh! Do I have to eat people? I asked you earlier but you didn’t answer! If I do,’_ he paused, then looked up at Berwald. He sighed and stopped walking so he could press his head against his mate’s chest. They were lagging behind, but Berwald couldn’t bring himself to care, especially when it meant Tino would show affection like this, _‘I don’t want to, but I guess if I wanna be a part of the pack, I have to, huh?’_

 

 _‘God, you guys are doing something cute, aren’t you? I can practically hear Ber’s heartbeat from here,’_ Lukas said, causing Berwald to back up quickly and Tino to giggle cutely, _‘No, you don’t have to eat people. You could if you wanted to, I guess, but that would probably cause more problems than necessary.’_

 

 _‘Yeah, plus it’d be morally, like, fucked up!’_ Mathias chimed in, _‘I mean, we are humans most of the time! Even when we’re wolves, we’re still pretty human! Like, we still have our human brains, ya know?’_

 

 _‘I get it!’_ Tino said happily, sounding extremely relieved and starting to trot forward with Berwald again, _‘Honestly, that was the only part I was actually worried about. For some reason, I feel really at home with you guys!’_

 

 _‘That’s the pack thing I was telling you about, remember?’_ Lukas said, _‘You feel at home because you are at home. Speaking of that, though… ugh. This is the hardest part of new pack members. Ber, you tell him, you're his mate, he can’t get that mad at you.’_

 

 _‘What?!’_ Tino skidded to a halt and looked panickedly at Berwald, _‘Oh no, do I have to kill someone?! Do I have to kill my parents or something?!’_

 

 _‘What? No, no, no, it’s nothing like that at all. Well, it does have to do with your family...’_ Mathias started, then stopped himself and said, _‘Ber, you do it! That’s an order from your Alpha, bro!’_

 

Berwald wished he didn’t know what his pack wanted him to say, but he did. This was the real deciding moment of his mate joining the pack, and it was absolutely nerve wracking. What if Tino did end up hating him for this? It was his fault that he had to join the pack, after all. He scuffed the ground with his paw and Tino whined next to him, _‘What is it, Ber? Is it bad?’_

 

Before Berwald could even obsess over how Tino said his nickname in his cute, Finnish accent, Mathias yelled, _‘It’s not that bad! Since you haven’t freaked out about it already, you probably won’t at all! I can’t imagine why, though...’_

 

 _‘Shut up, Mathias. Let him talk.’_ Emil said, finally entering the conversation, _‘Tino, it’ll be fine.’_

 

Berwald sighed, not able to stay silent under Tino's pleading gaze any longer, _'You can’t see your family or friends anymore,’_ he put bluntly, not wanting to dress up the potentially detrimental words. He shut his eyes so he didn't have to look at Tino’s probably upset face.

 

_‘Why?’_

 

The question was simple, Berwald would’ve asked it himself if he was in Tino’s position, but he was so surprised by the lack of anger or sadness in his mate’s voice that he couldn’t respond. The rest of the pack must have felt the same way, because a silence fell over them. Mathias, always one to feel uncomfortable in silence, was the first to say something, _‘Why don’t you sound sad, dude?’_

 

Tino hopped clumsily over a broken tree branch and sighed, _‘My family and I don’t really get along well, so I doubt they’ll miss me much,’_ he paused to kick a rock out of his path and Berwald wanted to curl against him more than ever now, _‘I don’t have any friends, either. I’m sorta a loner, haha,’_ he laughed, a sad sound that tugged on Berwald’s heart harder than anything. He took a cautious step forward and pressed his muzzle against Tino's soft shoulder. Tino let out a long sigh and nuzzled back, _‘Today I’ve been an emotional wreck, huh? I feel so drained and I’ve only been awake for, like, two hours!’_

 

 _‘It’s understandable. I was so angry when I was turned, I almost killed Mathias,’_ Berwald said, licking a few short, what he hoped were comforting stripes on Tino’s shoulder. Tino turned and looked at him quickly, looking disbelieving and surprised, _'Yeah, it’s true. We didn't really get along until after Lukas joined the pack and he calmed down a bit.’_

 

‘ _Yeah, Ber and I didn’t get along for a looong time, but now we’re best buds! I was so lonely when it was just me, the second I saw him, I knew he was my Beta!’_

 

 _‘Mathias, if you were the only one in the pack, who changed you?’_ Tino asked in wonder, walking closely by Berwald’s side so he didn’t trip over the many rocks in the clearing they were passing through.

 

 _‘I honestly have no idea who he was. All I know was that he was an Alpha who ran away from his pack and he tried to start a new one by turning me. I guess he thought my scent was Beta, but I’m all Alpha, baby!’_ he yelled proudly, earning a bemused chuckle from Emil, a small giggle from Tino, and two sighs from Lukas and Berwald, _‘But two Alphas in one pack is undoable, as you can probably guess. He wasn't very strong, and since I was an Alpha too, I had no reason to follow him. We fought a lot and I, um, ended up killing him, and lived on my own for almost a century. It was the worst time of my life,’_ he sighed and tried to sound more upbeat, ‘ _But then I found Berwald! And then I found Lukas and Emil and everything was good for a long time.’_

 

Tino looked troubled still, _‘I don’t want to intrude...’_

 

 _‘Everything was good, but now it’s great,’_ Berwald said firmly, hoping Tino could feel just how great everything really was now that he was around.

 

 _'Yeah! It looks like the only member we're missing is Emil's mate! Though, he's just a baby, there's no way it'll be anytime soon!'_ Mathias said cheerfully, followed by a firm agreement from Lukas.

 

 _'Guys, shut up,_ ' Emil complained, _‘I could find my mate any time. And when I do, you guys better not embarrass me!’_

 

 _‘Yes, sweetie! Daddy promises he won’t embarrass you!’_ Mathias laughed hysterically while everyone else groaned.

 

 _‘Never ever call yourself that again, please,’_ Lukas said, Emil agreeing wholeheartedly.

 

Tino just laughed lightly and pressed his nose to Berwald’s shoulder. Berwald felt so calm and _whole_ in this moment, just breathing in the scent of his mate and talking with his pack. The morning light was catching Tino’s snow fur and making it shine in a pretty, almost angelic way. It was a little awkward, walking like this, but he didn’t dare move away. Mathias was still laughing and chasing after some small animal, Lukas was walking around the shore of the lake up ahead, and Emil was sniffing at some bushes about 10 meters in front of them. He could sense all their movements easily, even when he couldn't see them. When they were almost at the lake, Mathias yelled, _‘Tino, I completely lost track of how many questions we’ve asked, so just tell us all about you!’_

 

 _‘I’m not very interesting, haha! But hmm...’_ Tino trailed off, then said in a cheerful voice, _‘My full name is Tino Väinämöinen, and, uhhhh… I’m from Finland! I speak Finnish and English, obviously! I work at a diner in town, but I really hate it,'_ he sighed and stretched his legs, _'I started working there because I wanted to learn how to cook, but it seems like all I’ve learned is to be hit on my my dumb boss, ugh, I hate him the most! Working there wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t always trying to get me to go out with him!’_

 

 _‘He hits on you?’_ Berwald growled, not able to focus on anything other than how cute his mate was or the overwhelming protective feelings taking over his mind.

 

 _‘Ugh, every day!’_ Tino cried, completely missing Berwald’s tone as he jumped over a log, _‘In fact, yesterday he was so bad, I almost cried while walking home from work! I was so angry!’_ he huffed and Berwald dug his claws in the ground to try and calm himself, _‘Actually, that’s why I went into the forest last night...it just seemed really calming. Haha, it ended up being so calming that I fell asleep in some grass like an idiot, ugh! Looking back, though,’_ he paused and looked shyly back at Berwald, _‘I’m glad I did.’_

 

 _‘You guys are so cute! Tino, I’ll beat up your boss for you, don’t worry!’_ Mathias said, the smile evident in his thoughts, _‘Though I’m sure Ber would much rather take care of him, haha!’_

 

 _‘Maybe we can come visit you at work some time,’_ Lukas said, getting hums of agreement from Mathias and Emil. Berwald was still a little distracted from Tino’s words from earlier. He found himself wondering how Tino was so perfect for millionth time that morning.

 

 _‘Hm...maybe! That might be fun! Hey, look, the lake!’_ Tino exclaimed, running forward and gasping, _‘Wow, it’s so big! I sort of remember it from last night, but I was focused on other stuff at the time!’_ he laughed and playfully pawed at Mathias.

 

 _‘Not my fault you were in the forest, bro!’_ he barked and nipped at Tino’s tail. Lukas walked up to Berwald’s side and they sat together, watching their mates chase each other around the shore as the sun finished rising. Emil came up and joined them proudly with a fat rabbit hanging from his jaws. The silence was only interrupted when Tino or Mathias would bark happily or when Berwald would growl at Mathias for nipping Tino too hard. After a while, they got tired and ran over to the rest of the group. Tino immediately ran up to Berwald and settled down next to him and began to lick the lake water off his paws. Mathias ran quickly behind him and said happily, _‘Finally, a pack mate who will play with me! Fucking finally! Ber, if you don’t watch out, I might just steal Tino from you, haha- ow! Lukaaaas, come on! So mean!’_

 

Berwald subconsciously put himself between Tino and Mathias and Emil said, _‘Hey, Mathias, maybe you’re the mean one for saying you’d leave your mate for Tino just because he lets you chase him around.’_

 

Mathias gasped and dropped quickly by Lukas’s side, frantically licking his mate’s fur and whimpering until Lukas huffed and said, _‘Ugh, whatever. You’re still a douchebag, though.’_

 

 _‘I’m sorry!’_ he pouted for a second then laughed, _‘Besides, you let me chase you around too!’_

 

 _‘Plus, let’s not forget Tino has a mate of his own,’_ Tino added teasingly, making Berwald’s heart race.

 

 _'Ya know, Tino, it's actually pretty weird that you're not at least sort of sad about all this. Ber tried to kill me and Emil ran away when I turned them, but you seem completely fine with it!'_ Mathias mused, looking at Tino quizzically from where he was still licking Lukas's fur.

 

 _'I'm pretty surprised I'm not that freaked out either, honestly . I just feel...happy? And safe,’_ he hummed and licked water from his paw, _‘I don’t really know how this all works, but maybe it’s different because I came into the pack with a mate?_ ’ he glanced quickly at Berwald before settling his gaze on Lukas, _‘What do you think? Were you mad when Mathias changed you?’_

 

 _‘I was absolutely furious. I mean, he took me from my home, my family, my friends. The first couple years I was in the pack, I barely spoke to Mathias, no matter how much he tried to get me to like him. Of course I felt an attraction to him, we are mates, after all, but I refused to be near him. I was so stubborn,’_ he laughed a little and rested his head on his paws as Mathias kept grooming him. Berwald's heart panged as he remembered that time in their lives. Lukas had been so quiet and angry, which made Mathias upset and irritable, and Berwald remembered wondering if it would ever get better, _‘I spent all my time secretly following Emil or my parents around. It wasn’t until my parents died in an accident and Mathias changed Emil that I accepted my life as a werewolf and this idiot as my mate.’_

 

 _‘Oh, wow,’_ Tino said, looking sad and amazed at the same time, _‘So when you and Emil’s parents died, you took him in because he would’ve been on his own? If you don’t mind me asking!_ ’ he added hurriedly.

 

 _‘No, no, it’s fine. You were the only one who wasn’t there for that mess, you deserve to know,’_ Lukas sighed and Mathias whined softly, _‘No, it really is fine. Yeah, Tino, that is why Mathias changed him. That, and because I practically begged him to. I was a depressed mess after I was changed, so I jumped at the opportunity to have any sort of familiarity in my life. Plus, I missed my baby bro,’_ he said, earning an embarrassed scoff from Emil.

 

 _‘That’s why it’s so surprising that you’re not upset at all! Because we all were!’_ Mathias added, still covering Lukas’s fur with quick licks, ‘ _I’m jealous, honestly! It’s no fair you got to skip out on all the emotional turmoil of being a werewolf! Tch, unbelievable!’_ he laughed and licked his mate’s muzzle softly.

 

 _‘That’s why we don’t turn people into wolves unless absolutely necessary,’_ Emil chimed in, _‘It’s pretty depressing to leave all your family and friends behind, and we don’t want anyone to have to go through that.’_

 

Berwald sighed and Tino scooted closer to him so he could lick a few small, shy stripes on his chest, _‘I wish I was there with you guys during that time! I could’ve made it better!’_ he sat up proudly and puffed out his chest, earning a small chorus of chuckles from everyone else.

 

Eventually, they got up from their comfortable spots by the lake and started showing Tino around the territory again. Tino kept brushing against up against his side, so he couldn’t focus on the nonstop commentary that Mathias was giving or even where they were in the territory. All his attention was on Tino’s occasional cute giggling and the way his tail would wag when Berwald would pay him even the slightest bit of attention. Berwald wasn’t sure if Tino knew how his actions were affecting him, but by the way Tino seemed blissfully unaware, he guessed he didn’t. For about two hours, they wandered around their rather large Finnish territory. Tino seemed shocked when Mathias said they had territories like this all over the Nordic region, and Berwald promised himself that he would take the little Finn to each of them. Their group finally reached a small neighborhood just outside of town, where Tino stopped and barked excitedly.

 

 _‘My house is up there! My neighbors will already be at work, so it’s okay if we all just go up to it!’_ Tino said happily, racing ahead of the group to get to the top of the small hill they were currently at the bottom of. Mathias and Berwald followed him quickly, Emil a few steps behind, and Lukas leisurely strolling behind them. Berwald followed Tino quickly, making sure he didn’t slip on the rocks or something ridiculously cute like that. Tino stopped in front of an old, one-way road next to a line of modest homes and crinkled his nose, _‘Ugh! Is this really what cars smell like to animals! So nasty!’_

 

Berwald bit back the flood of compliments begging to tumble out of his mental barrier and nudged his mate’s shoulder gently, _‘Which house is yours?’_

 

Tino turned to him and his eyes glinted mischievously, _‘You find it! It probably smells a lot like me, right? Let’s see if you can tell which house in this whole neighborhood is mine just from the smell!’_ he looked so cute and proud of his little game that Berwald couldn’t help but nod his head and lower his nose to the ground, trying to ignore the presence of his mate next to him so he could focus on finding an older scent of his instead.

 

 _‘Whoa, Tino! You got Ber to actually do something fun!’_ Mathias said, trotting up to the pair with Lukas and Emil in tow, _‘Having you around is gonna be so great!’_

 

Berwald blocked his pack out and opened his mouth to taste the breeze. He finally caught a very faint yet very recognizable scent and he chased after it, running down the empty street, pleased when the scent got stronger every couple meters he went. He followed the trail down the cement, nose still pressed to the ground, until he reached a house that smelled particularly good. He walked up to it and when the already familiar sweet scent hit him like a brick, he looked smugly back at Tino.

 

 _‘Heeey, Ber! You’re too good at this!’_ Tino pouted and ran up so he could headbutt his shoulder playfully, _‘Next time we’re gonna play something you can’t win so easily!’_

 

Lukas followed up behind him and got up on the front porch, looking at Tino expectantly, _‘Keys?’_

 

 _‘Oh! There’s one under the mat...I think...’_ Tino trailed off, deflating a little, _‘I hope...’_

 

 _‘Please don’t tell me we came all this way just for Tino to not have keys,’_ Emil sighed and jumped up on the porch, curling up behind the wooden barrier so he wasn't visible from the street, _'I'm staying here, you guys can do whatever you want, I'm taking a nap.'_

 

 _'Well, don't get too comfortable,'_ Lukas said, nudging the doormat out of the way with his paw to show a small, silver key, _'I won't be in there for long.'_

 

Emil groaned and rolled over on his back with an 'Ugh, whatever', not even bothering to watch as his brother changed back into his human form.

 

 _'Oooh, I feel so bad for not getting home to Hana last night!'_ Tino cried, shyly looking away from a where a now-human, now- _naked_ Lukas was unlocking his door, _'I hope she isn't mad at me!'_

 

 _'Lukas will make sure she's fine!'_ Mathias said proudly as he plopped heavily down next to where Emil was already dozing off.

 

 _'He’ll make sure sh...can we talk to animals?! That's so cool! I can finally tell what Hana is thinking!'_ Tino laughed and scrambled up onto the opposite side of the porch then laughed again at Berwald's position on the front lawn still, _'C'mon Ber! Sit next to me! You don't want my neighbors to accidentally see a huge wolf just hanging out on my grass!'_

 

Berwald hurried up the two steps and settled himself about a foot away from the Finn, just to have the space instantly closed by Tino stretching out right next to him, _'Ahhh, I'm sleepy too! Maybe a small nap wouldn't hurt...'_ he yawned adorably and Berwald leaned down to give a quick lick to his cheek. Affection was much easier to give when you weren't in your human form.

 

 _‘To answer your question, no we can’t talk to animals or anything,’_ Emil said sleepily, stretching out his legs languidly, _‘But, and I don’t know if this is just me or what, but I felt a significant closeness to nature and animals when I was changed.’_

 

 _‘Yeah, I’ve totally felt that! I always love to be outside, but now it seems like the outside loves me back!’_ Tino giggled and shut his eyes against the bright mid-morning sun. Berwald could think of one other thing that loved Tino too. He sighed softly and rested his chin on his paws, making Tino look at him with a little worried expression in his eyes, _‘Hey, Ber, why’d you sigh? Am I talking too much? I’m so sorry!’_ he looked horrified with himself and Berwald swore he could see tears in his eyes.

 

 _'No, not at all,'_ Berwald said, slightly panicked at Tino's sudden emotion, _'You’re fine, you’re great. It's just...sort of cold, no?'_

 

 _'Oh!'_ Tino sounded relieved and scooted closer so their bodies were touching again and he could lick Berwald’s muzzle sweetly, _‘It_ is _Finland_ _, so I guess it's pretty cold! I’ve lived here my whole life, so I’m used to it. Are you from around here?’_

 

 _‘He’s Swedish! I’m Danish, Lukas is Norwegian, and Emil is Icelandic!’_ Mathias interrupted happily, _‘It’s funny, we’ve got the whole Nordic gang here now! It really was meant to be, haha!’_

 

 _‘Swedish! No wonder you’re such a good cook!’_ Tino said, excitement seeping into his voice, _‘I’ve been to Sweden before! It’s very beautiful!’_

 

Berwald hummed in agreement and felt his heart fill slightly at the compliment. Tino giggled and Mathias said, _‘Lukas and Emil’s mom was half Norwegian and half Icelandic, and their respective fathers were either full Norwegian or full Icelandic!’_

_‘Oh! So they are half brothers!’_ Tino said, sounding surprised. Berwald wished he could already know as much about his mate as his Alpha knew about his.

 

 _‘Ha, don’t let Lukas hear you say that,_ ’ Emil snorted, _‘He’s, like, the most protective brother ever. It’s so annoying! He insists that just because we have different fathers doesn’t mean we have any less of a familial bond, whatever that means,’_ he scoffed.

 

 _‘He loves ya!’_ Mathias said, defending his mate, _‘He just wants to be close to you!’_

 

 _‘Ugh, he’s plenty close,’_ Emil said in a bored tone, but the uncaring demeanor faltered when he refused to meet Mathias’s eyes. Berwald inwardly smiled a little at how much of a petulant teenager Emil still acted like, despite being almost two hundred years old. Tino looked like he was going to say something, but Lukas hurrying out of the front door with a tote bag in his hand stopped him. Berwald faintly heard a small yapping coming from inside the house, but was quickly distracted by the glare Lukas was currently sending to Tino.

 

“Your dog fucking hates me,’ he said annoyedly, making Tino whimper and Berwald hover over him protectively. Lukas rolled his eyes and held up the bag he was carrying, “Tino, I got some of your clothes. You have too many sweaters.”

 

With that, he put the long handle of the bag around Tino’s neck and changed back into his wolf form quickly. He rolled his eyes at Mathias’s excited woofs and let his mate lick his ears furiously, _‘God, I was in there for ten minutes, there’s no way you missed me this much.’_

 

 _‘But I diiiiid!’_ Mathias cooed, making Lukas shove him off and hop down from the porch, _‘Time to go home already?!’_

 

 _‘We’ve already shown Tino around most of the territory, and I’m fucking exhausted,’_ Emil said, jumping down to follow after his brother, who was already heading towards the forest again, _‘There’s no reason to stay out.’_

 

 _‘It’s not even noon yet! I wanna stay ooout!’_ Mathias whined, but ran after his mate anyways, _‘We still haven’t even hunted!’_

 

 _‘You and Ber do that, me and Emil will show Tino the way back to the house,’_ Lukas replied, glancing back to make sure the rest of the pack was following, _‘Come on, Tino. It’s a long run back to the house, so let’s get going.’_

Tino was sniffing sadly at his front door still and whined softly, _‘I didn’t even get to say hi! She’s probably so mad at me!’_ Berwald nudged him softly to get his attention and he immediately turned back to him, _‘Oh sorry! That sounds fine, Lukas! I don’t really think a dead animal sounds that appetizing, though...’_

 

 _‘You’ll feel different once you smell it! There’s no denying your senses, bud!’_ Mathias said happily, _‘Come on, Ber! Time to go hunt for our pack! There’s no better feeling, providing for your wife and children,’_ he laughed and Lukas nipped him roughly.

 

 _‘I’m not your fucking wife, dickwad,’_ he spat and ran off, Emil following closely behind.

 

Even when Tino licked his muzzle softly and said, _‘Catch something big for me, yeah?’_ before he ran- a little awkward with the tote bag still hanging around his neck- after his two pack mates, all Berwald could think about was how much he liked the word ‘wife’ associated with Tino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the IMMENSE amount of mistakes that are probably in this chapter but i hope its not too bad!! i edited it to the best of my ability, but hey im not perfect!!! the ending is a little abrupt but i decided the next events would probably be better in tino's perspective :0!!!
> 
> next chapter will be up on time, i promise!!! ill do everything i can to make sure i stick to that!!! <3
> 
> your comments really do motivate me to write, so please PLEASE leave them!!!! thank you so much for all the support guys it means alot :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two days late, i know :( please yell at me i deserve it )): this chapter was so hard to write for some reason?? but no worries!! ive already written 2k of the next chapter, so thatll def come on time!!!
> 
> though heres some pretty big news, ill be updating on sundays/mondays now instead of fridays!!!! its just better for my schedule, and itll help me get things up when i need to :D
> 
> please enjoy this, it wasn't what i wanted it to be, but theres still a ton of sufin fluffiness so hopefully you can forgive me :D <3

Tino tried to keep up with Lukas and Emil.

 

Key word being _tried_.

 

They never let him get too far behind, but the morning was really catching up to him and he just wanted to go lay in a pile of leaves and sleep. He was feeling so lively before, but after leaving Berwald’s side, he felt his energy drain out of him like a flowing river. Walking on four stupid legs was still foreign to him, and he found himself stumbling quite often. He tripped on a rock and whined when the sharp end of it caught his paw uncomfortably.

 

_‘You okay?’_ Berwald’s soothing, deep voice broke the silence as Tino limped up to where the two brothers had stopped for him- again. Tino was glad he wasn’t a human because he was sure his face would’ve been bright red. How embarrassing!

 

_‘I’m just really tired all of a sudden! I'm fine!’_ Tino assured him, feeling more embarrassed now that he knew his mate knew about his slip up. Lukas rolled his eyes and leaned forward to lick Tino's shoulder lightly.

 

_'Ber, focus on hunting. Tino, we can walk the rest of the way to the house. It's only about ten minutes,'_ Lukas said, looking sympathetically at Tino's paw before starting to walk again. Tino nodded bashfully and walked grumpily behind the two brothers. He didn't really like the cease in conversation, but he didn't want to annoy them or distract his mate from hunting, so he kept his thoughts to himself. He still had so many questions, though!

 

He didn't understand any of his emotions toward this entire situation. Towards Lukas and Emil, he felt a strong bond of friendship and family that he'd never felt towards anyone else before, even his actual friends and family. They'd welcomed him into their lives so quickly and he was so grateful for their quiet, but firm kindness.

 

Towards Mathias, he felt the same immediate friendship as he had with Lukas and Emil, but there was also a strange urge to submit. Which wasn't that weird, considering that he was the Alpha, but that was a new feeling that he doubted he'd ever get used to. Underneath all those friendly smiles and booming laughs, Tino could already tell how powerful he really was, and it made the urge to submit a little easier to understand.

 

Then there was Berwald.

 

There was the same urge to submit, but Tino found himself wanting to submit to the handsome Swede. The thought made him blush a little and check to make sure he was covering his thoughts well enough to where the rest of his pack couldn’t hear them. When they didn’t look at him weirdly, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He’d already embarrassed himself enough in front of his new family, he didn’t need to give them more reason to make fun of him!

 

The thoughts about his mate made their way back into his mind quickly- not that they ever really left in the first place- and he could feel his heart start to beat faster. He was so surprised at himself for acting like a giggly teenager with a crush on the hot guy on the football team or something, but then again, who wouldn't act like that around someone as cute as Berwald! He giggled to himself and thought dreamily about how sweet Berwald had been to him. Of course, he'd had boyfriends before- a lot, actually. He'd gone through quite a rebellious phase after being kicked out by his parents!-, but even the nicest one hadn't touched him as gently or looked at him so lovingly like Berwald had.

 

Tino's insides melted when he remembered how Berwald had held his hand so tenderly earlier and how right it felt to be right next to his side. This whole 'mate' thing was still crazy to him, but he couldn't help but revel in the attention Berwald gave him. He felt an almost uncomfortable pull in his gut when he thought about how his poofy white fur had brushed against his mate's as they walked through the forest together and how much he wanted to be next to him again. It was so right, ugh! Why couldn't he come with them to hunt?!

 

Emil looked behind his shoulder at Tino trying to readjust the tote bag around his neck and rolled his eyes. He waited for Tino to catch up to him and then gently took the handle of the bag in between in his teeth, moving it so it wasn’t sitting so uncomfortably on his neck. Tino’s panting must have sounding ridiculous to someone who was used to running around like this, yet he still followed by Tino’s side for the rest of the walk to the house, letting Lukas lead the way. It wasn’t as comforting as Berwald’s company, but it was still very nice to be with his pack mate.

 

They eventually reached the house again, with only two more accidents due to Tino’s clumsiness. Tino considered it an overall success! As soon as the two-story house came into view, Tino breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t bother hiding his laugh from his pack mates as he raced forward to barrel in the patch of tall grass in front of the rail, pushing the stupidly heavy bag from his neck finally. He rolled around on his back and pawed cheerfully at Emil when he ran over with him. Emil jumped on him and nipped his neck softly, and the two youngest members of the pack began to engage in an all out war. Emil did like him, after all!

 

Tino scrambled up and batted at Emil’s ear like a cat, woofing enthusiastically. Emil growled back playfully and they chased each other around the yard like children. They laughed and jumped all over each other in the mid-day sun until the unmistakable smell of blood hit Tino’s nose like a sudden and unwanted interruption from the comforting scents of grass, Emil, and even a delicious, lingering trace of Berwald from this morning. He looked up from where he was pinning Emil to the ground to see Mathias's big body bounding out of the mass of dark trees directly up to where Lukas was sat watching the play fight. Mathias tackled him and Tino could hear the ‘oof’ Lukas let out even from fifteen feet away.

 

‘When will you finally realize that you’re not as sneaky as you think you are,’ Lukas said in his usual bored tone, but stayed still so Mathias could lick all over his face. Tino sat all the way up quickly and let Emil lick down some of his messed up fur. He gave a small woof of thanks and looked excitedly around for Berwald. He crinkled his nose at the still pungent scent of blood, but felt his heart catch in his throat when he caught the scent of his mate underneath it and ran forward towards the two intermingling scents. He felt embarrassed at how excited he was to see his mate again, especially after barely an hour of being without it, but still found himself following the scent carefully.

 

When he finally caught sight of the black fur coming out of the same darkness Mathias had, he felt a sharp pang of need in his heart and he began to rush forward again, but he stopped short once he realized that the blood smell still assaulting his nose was coming from the dead deer Berwald was dragging with him. Tino’s eyes widened in surprise at the bloody body and felt sick at not only the sight of blood, but at how his stomach growled when he saw it. Berwald dropped the deer in the clearing and immediately started walking to Tino, letting Emil walk up to it and take his share of it. Tino swallowed heavily and hurried to Berwald so he could bury his nose in the soft fur of his shoulder so the scent of blood was masked by the amazingly addictive one Berwald had. Berwald licked the spot between his ears softly and nuzzled his face into Tino’s side. Tino sort of wanted to back up a little, in fear of Berwald hearing how his heart was beating so fast, but that would’ve meant he’d have to move away too, and was something he definitely didn’t want to do. He sighed, trying to get his heart and mind to calm down, but Berwald pulled back and looked at him worriedly, _‘You alright?’_

 

_‘Of course! I’m fine!’_ he glanced at the deer that Mathias had started to eat too, _‘That’s just a little...gross,.’_

 

_‘Heh, it is, isn’t it?’_ Lukas said, strolling past them to lean over and take a bite. He looked back at Tino and licked the blood from around his mouth, _‘It’s a necessity, though. Being a werewolf seems pretty good right now, right? Try going two weeks without eating raw meat like this,’_ Tino could hear the smirk in his voice and Emil spoke quickly after him.

 

_‘I’m pretty sure the only reason we can force this down is because of our like, canine instincts or whatever,’_ he rolled his eyes and moved away from the animal, licking some blood off his paw, _‘It’s so gross when you think about it, though. Sometimes I wish we weren’t human at all when we’re wolves, just so we wouldn’t have to really think about what exactly it is that we’re eating.’_

 

_‘I don’t really have a problem with eating it, it’s just catching it that I don’t like,’_ Mathias said quietly. Tino jumped at his voice, almost forgetting the Alpha was there because of his unexpected quietness, then smiled inwardly at how Lukas leaned over so he could lick Mathias’s shoulder in a reassuring way, _‘I try to let my instincts take over so I don’t have to think about the animal that I’m killing, but it’s still really sad! I guess it’s just the way nature is, though...’_

 

_‘I’m sure the deer will forgive you,’_ Emil said, rolling his eyes and going to lay down in the shade.

 

Tino pressed closer to Berwald so that their pelts were touching in the comforting way again and looked up at him, _‘Do you only need to eat animals or can you still eat human food?’_

 

_‘We still eat human food,’_ he replied in his deep voice that made Tino shiver, _‘Our appetites are significantly bigger than humans, actually.’_

 

_‘We eat so much fucking food, dude!’_ Mathias yelled, apparently over his previous sadness, if the way he strutted over to plop himself down on top of Emil was any indication.

 

_‘It’s probably due to how much energy it takes to change and run around, but yeah, we eat a lot_ _of fucking food,’_ Lukas said, walking over to his mate and brother’s dog pile and plopping himself right on top of it, earning an excited bark from Mathias and an annoyed growl from Emil, _‘You don’t have to eat right now, Tino, but it probably would be best if you did. I even left you and Ber the good part, tell me how awesome I am,’_ he said boredly.

 

_‘You’re awesome!’_ Mathias chirped loyally, nuzzling his cheek on Lukas’s fur.

 

Tino gulped and looked to Berwald for guidance. Berwald licked his shoulder and nudged him softly, _‘It’s not that bad. Just pretend it’s a full course meal at a restaurant instead of a dead deer on the ground.’_

 

Tino giggled and padded after him slowly, _‘I’ll pretend it’s your pancakes!’_ he rubbed his head on Berwald’s shoulder and smiled when he felt more licks on his forehead.

 

_‘You guys are so gross, get a room,’_ Lukas said, then paused and added an ‘assholes’ for good measure.

 

_‘This is what you get for always being gross with Mathias,’_ Emil said smugly, _‘Ber and Tino get to be ten times as gross after all the shit you’ve made me and Ber see throughout the years. They’re pretty cute, if you ask me.’_

 

Tino looked up at Berwald shyly, trying to gauge his reaction to their pack’s teasing. When their eyes met, Berwald looked away quickly and all of Tino’s thoughts turned into a huge mush of embarrassing lovey feelings. He was so cute! Before Tino could say something, he found that they were already in front of their meal. The human part of him was disgusted, but a stronger, unfamiliar part of him was trying to convince him that it looked good to eat. He was sort of scared that his thoughts were fighting against each other, but he shook his head to clear himself of his hesitant attitude. He had to do this! He didn’t want to be the odd one out in his pack. Not that he wasn’t already, everyone else was already so much older and more attractive and cooler than him! Especially his mate, who he wanted to impress desperately. He sighed and Berwald licked his shoulder comfortingly before leaning down to eat his share.

 

Tino put on his game face and crouched next to his mate, closing his eyes and taking the first bite of raw deer. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help but almost gag at the weird, slimy texture of muscle sliding down his throat. He coughed and Mathias said, _'Just think about it like this, Asians always are eating raw fish, right? Like, sushi or something, I don't know. But pretend you're eating that!'_

 

Tino swallowed in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth, disgusted with himself when his body accepted so easily, even when his mind hated it. He felt really guilty and upset suddenly, and he guessed it was just all of today catching up with him finally. It was strange, it wasn’t the wolf biting him last night, the pain of changing, or even the sudden admiration he had for the stoic man he was meant to spend the rest of his life with, but eating raw meat that finally made the dam of bottled up terrified emotions spill. Maybe it was because it was so blaringly not human, he didn’t know, but the heavy emotion in his chest made him want to curl up in a ball away from everyone except his dumb, stupidly sexy mate to keep him company and soothe him with his warm scent and sweet words.

 

He made a weird, choked sound and backed up a couple steps. He could barely breathe anymore and he almost collapsed on the ground when he met Berwald's obviously concerned eyes. So much for not embarrassing himself in front of his pack, ugh, they probably hated him for causing so much trouble! He let out a whimper that sounded pathetic to even his own ears and he vaguely heard his pack speaking to him in worried tones, but all that did was freak him out more. He sort of wanted to run away, but couldn’t bring himself to do that, so he just weakly lowered himself to the ground and closed his eyes, hoping his pack would understand his current situation.

 

He just laid there and focused on his breathing, but keeping calm is hard when you’re burning with shame and embarrassment, so Tino just kept his eyes clamped shut and yelled at himself in his head to drown out his pack’s words. He was so focused on making himself as small as possible and hoping that his pack would somehow forget that he was there, that when Berwald’s scent came to him again and instantly calmed him, he jumped in surprised and his eyes shot open to meet his mates.

 

Berwald was standing about three feet in front of him, still in his wolf form, with worry written all over his face. When Tino's eyes opened, his voice rushed to him, _'You didn't have to eat right now, I'm so sorry. Do you feel sick?'_ he asked gently, making Tino feel a million times worse for making someone so sweet worry like this.

 

Tino stood up weakly and looked at Berwald's paws, unable to meet his eyes, and nodded. Berwald took a small step forward, then hesitantly said, _‘Can I sit next to you?’_

 

Tino immediately whined in surprise and stumbled towards him so that he could frantically lick his mate’s shoulder, _‘I’m sorry for acting like this! I’m so sorry! I’m just really freaked out right now, but I-’_

 

Berwald shushed him and nuzzled Tino’s head softly, _‘It’s okay, Tino. You’re doing a lot better than any of the rest of us did. You’re doing great.’_

 

The words were meant to calm him and they certainly did their job. Tino breathed a heavy sigh and Berwald crouched down, nudging his mate so he laid down too. Tino didn’t dare meet his eyes, but he couldn’t help but move so their sides were pressed together again. Berwald licked his ears and said, _‘Everyone else changed back so they could go to the store. I think Mathias said something about getting things for a campfire tonight, but I was focused on you more.’_

 

Tino’s heart sped up at Berwald’s words and he felt bad about being such a burden, but was sort of glad everyone else couldn’t hear their conversation. He’d already embarrassed himself enough in front of them for a lifetime. He dropped his head to his paws and said in a small voice, _'I hope he gets marshmallows, then. I really want some marshmallows.'_

 

Berwald sighed, sounding relieved, and gave a firm lick to the top of his head, _'S' not a campfire without marshmallows.'_

 

Tino giggled, still feeling slightly hysterical, but happy that the comfortable warm feeling from earlier was coming back. He got up so he was sitting and took over the job of grooming his mate. Berwald sighed contentedly, which made Tino's heart flutter, but also looked up at him with curiosity prominent in his eyes. Tino could practically feel the phantom blush creeping across his cheeks, but he still quietly said, _'This is how it is, right? I don't know much about wolves, um, but aren’t mates supposed to take care of each other and stuff? I...want to take care of you.’_

 

Tino bashfully avoided Berwald’s eyes and groomed the fur around his shoulder. Silence engulfed them for about a minute and just as Tino was starting to get nervous that he said something wrong, Berwald said in a endearingly shy voice, _‘You’re probably the one that needs the taking care of right now.’_

 

_‘I’m fine, really! I felt super sad earlier, but I’m better now!’_ Tino assured him, telling the truth. Just sitting here and being with his mate really did do wonders for his mood. The only thing that showed proof of his earlier panic attack was the remaining taste of blood in his mouth, but even that was rapidly being taken away as he licked Berwald’s delicious-smelling fur. He thought about how weird it would be if he were a human doing this, and giggled a little bit, but then blushed when he realized that he wouldn’t really mind getting his mouth on Berwald’s neck as humans too.

 

They laid together, making small talk for nearly an hour. Tino retired from his spot above Berwald and decided laying on his back in the warm sun and letting his mate groom him was much more comfortable. After Tino noticed the time passing, he looked curiously up at Berwald, _‘When do you think they’ll be back? They’re taking forever!’_

 

_‘They always take this long. Going in public with Mathias is like taking a child to a candy store.'_

 

Tino laughed, _'I wanna see that! I wish I could've gone with everyone today, but I don't think stores would want a wolf stomping around, haha!'_

 

_‘Hm. You could just turn back into a human, ya know.’_

 

_‘Oh yeah! I wish I could do that now, I’m tired of having a tail!’_ Tino whined, rolling around so he was touching Berwald again, _‘I like being in a wolf body, but it’s much more comfortable being in a human form. I do blush a lot, though, so maybe it’s best if I stay as a wolf...’_

 

_‘It’s cute,’_ Berwald said quietly, making Tino giggle again, _‘I can help you turn back, if you want.’_

 

_‘Oh, really?! You would do that?!’_

 

_‘It’ll be pretty painful, even more so than changing into a wolf is, because your body will fight it. Plus, your wound might reopen,’_ Berwald said carefully, sitting up so he could sniff at Tino’s side wound, _‘Let’s go inside, though. I’ll bring your clothes.’_

 

Tino got up excitedly and bounced happily after Berwald, _‘I’m so happy! I missed being a human!’_

 

Berwald picked up the tote bag with Tino’s clothes and nudged them both inside the still open front door. Tino stepped lightly on the hardwood floors and Berwald led them into the same room as before. With the sun shining in through the curtains, the room was a lot brighter than it had been in the morning. Tino turned and looked at Berwald, who was dropping the tote bag on the floor, _‘Are you going to change too? Please do!’_

 

Berwald nodded and backed up so he was out of the room again, _‘I’ll change out here, you change in here. I’ll, um, coach you through it from outside the door.’_

 

_‘Okay!’_ Tino said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible as his mate nudged the door shut. He was excited to turn back, of course, but he definitely wasn’t ready for the pain that he had just been warned of.

 

_‘Tino, take deep breaths and focus on nothing but being a human. Don’t even listen to me, just think about having legs and arms and, um, no tail.’_

 

Tino said a goofy, slightly panicked ‘yes sir’ and closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths and followed his mate’s instructions. Concentrating was hard when he could smell Berwald less than ten feet away from him, but he eventually managed to block out any other thoughts. A sudden, intense pain shot through his legs and he cried out, just for three more quick pangs of horrible pain to shot through his arms, torso, and head. He choked out a sob and shot open his eyes when he heard his human voice. He was laying on his back on the floor and holding his shaky hands in front of his face.

 

He sat up weakly, pulling the bag of clothes towards him. Being naked was only acceptable in a sauna, after all, and he was definitely not in a sauna right now. His bones screamed at him to stop moving, but he only moved faster when he heard Berwald's worried voice outside the door. He tried to call out a quick assurance, but the sound came out as a choked and raspy cough.

 

He pulled the clothes out of the bag and cursed Lukas when he saw that his pack mate had chosen the most embarrassing clothing items he owned. He gawked at the gray t-shirt that had ‘SEXY’ writen in big block letters across the front that he completely forgot he even owned, and now it was coming back to haunt him in the worst way possible. Groaning quietly, he laid back on the floor and held up the boxers and black joggers that were also in the bag. Well, those weren’t so bad, he guesses. At least Lukas didn’t put in the way-too-short lounge shorts that he knew were in the same drawer as these cropped sweats.

 

He stretched his aching limbs carefully and was sort of amazed at how the excruciating pain he was feeling barely a minute ago was almost completely gone. Even the cold sweat that was tainting his forehead was cooling already. Being a werewolf was turning out to be more beneficial than he thought! He pulled himself to his feet and groaned at how creaky his whole body felt. Stretching carefully on his shaky feet, he threw on the boxers and joggers quickly.

 

He fingered the fabric of the t-shirt in his hand and felt another ugly blush cover his cheeks. What would Berwald think? What if he thought it was stupid and inappropriate? He was tempted to just get another one of Lukas’s shirts out of the dresser, but that seemed rude to do to someone who was so nice to him. Even if that person was the one who was making him wear this monstrosity. He sighed and pulled on the shirt. It had been quite a few years since it'd been given to him as a joke, so it rode up a little, almost showing his belly button. He’d never even worn it before, so it was a surprise to see how it fit. The joggers also were a little loose, and they showed his hipbones too.

 

He poked his stomach and frowned. Looks like it’s time to lay off the snacks, ugh! Oh no, and these scars from Mathias marring his skin, what if Berwald was disgusted by them? What if Berwald was disgusted by _him?_ Another knock sounded on the door and Berwald’s voice interrupted his insecure thoughts, "Tino? Are you okay?"

 

He turned around right when the door opened and he was met with Berwald’s very worried gaze and very, _very_ naked chest. Tino’s eyes widened comically and he pulled down the hem of the shirt quickly. His eyes moved over his mate’s muscular chest and he could feel the heat radiating from his own cheeks. Oh God, Berwald was so hot and he was standing here wearing a stupid, tacky t-shirt! He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to ease the awkwardness of this moment, but when he looked at Berwald’s face he paused. His mate’s face was red and his mouth open a little in shock. Tino looked down bashfully at his outfit and wondered, could his mate really find him that attractive? Berwald certainly was having an… interesting reaction to his outfit.

 

 

Tino walked forward until he was about a foot in front of the other, close enough to see how wide his eyes were underneath his glasses. Tino smiled a little and decided to have a little fun. He moved the hand that was holding the shirt down to softly move some hair out of his eyes, letting the fabric move back up to show his hips again. Berwald gulped and averted his eyes, “I- um…”

 

Tino’s smile widened, fuck yes, he still had it! He knew Berwald thought he was cute, but this reaction was better than he could’ve hoped for! He blinked up at Berwald using his prettiest look and smiled as gently as possible, “Lukas seems to have chosen the most embarrassing shirt I own, haha. It’s comfy, though! What do you think? Do I look nice?” he asked, spinning once and laughing at Berwald’s adorable flustered expression, “Aw, do you not like it?” he pouted, jutting out his lip playfully.

 

Berwald’s eyes were really wide now, and he said in a quiet voice, “I think you look… really good,” he swallowed heavily and nervously pushed his glasses up on his nose, “I came in here to, uh, check on you and get a shirt for myself.”

 

Tino moved out of the way so Berwald could walk to the dresser and he smiled when he chose the same shirt that Tino had first smelled his scent on. He watched the muscles in his back move as he pulled on the t-shirt and he smiled, “Oh! To answer your question, I’m fine! I’m great, actually! It’s so weird that it doesn’t even hurt that much anymore, ya know?”

 

His mate turned around and gave him a small smile, “That’s good. Pain goes away pretty quickly for us, so luckily you won’t feel it for long,” he moved closer to Tino then, shyly putting his hand on his waist, right where the scars were, "And these feel okay? They aren't bleeding at all?" he said quietly, rubbing his fingers slowly down where he knew the four lines were under his shirt. Tino grinned like the cat who got the cream and Berwald pulled away suddenly, clenching his fist and moving out of the room, Tino following him like an obedient puppy. Berwald looked so shy and sweet, Tino wished he had the courage to make the first, official move already. The taller man said his next words quickly, sounding very nervous, “Are you hungry? Do you need anything?”

 

Tino put a hand on his arm to stop him and moved so he was standing right in front of him, looking up at him with a small smile on his face, “I actually would like something…”

 

Berwald’s face was still that cute shade of red and he whispered a mystified, “What would you like?”

 

“Hmm… It's not a big thing! I was just wondering if I could borrow one of your jackets or something? I don’t want to let everyone else me like this…” he trailed off, looking hopefully into Berwald’s pretty eyes. It was true, he didn’t want any of the others to see his hips and stomach, but the real reason was that he wanted to be wrapped up in something warm that smelled like Berwald. He got sort of nervous when Berwald just looked at him surprisedly, though. Was that really such a strange request? People who were in a relationship shared clothes, right? Wait- were they even in a relationship? There was no way they weren't- there was too much flirting, not to mention the fact that they were fucking soulmates. Tino could feel tears in his eyes as the thought of Berwald not wanting to be in a relationship with him and he cursed his stupid emotions for making him cry so easily over something so silly.

 

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Berwald asked, but he just shook his head and looked down. God, he was such a wreck! Berwald probably thought he was stupid and weird, and now it was even worse because he was crying, and even worse yet, he wasn't even sure why.

 

A big hand came into his vision and lifted his chin so he was forced to meet his mate's concerned eyes, "Tino? What happened? Are you okay? Of course you can have one of my jackets," he gently put a hand on the small of his back, guiding him towards the stairs, presumably to go up to his room to get the jacket.

 

Tino just let himself be pushed up the stairs, still wondering what the hell just happened. He wiped away a tear that was rolling down his face and sighed heavily as Berwald rubbed sweet circles into his back. They stopped in front of a door and Tino gave a weak smile to the other, "Guess I'm not really living up to the shirt, huh? Lukas will be so disappointed, haha"

 

Berwald frowned and moved so he was in front of Tino, "You're in shock, Tino. I would be surprised if you weren't crying, okay? Now, come on," he said, softly guiding Tino inside, "Um, this is my room. You can lie on the bed if you want, you must be very tired."

 

Tino nodded and walked forward to sit lightly on the bed and watch Berwald go into what he assumed was the closet, too embarrassed to try to joke around. He played with his fingers and sighed again, he really was very tired. It was probably only around 3 p.m., but he just wanted to go to sleep. He closed his eyes and put his face in both his hands. He felt guilty for suddenly breaking down like this in front of Berwald, so suddenly and without reason, but he was so frazzled and desperate to impress that he couldn’t hold it back. A soft clearing of the throat interrupted his thoughts and he looked up, blinking the spots out of his vision to see Berwald standing in front of him, holding a red, zip-up hoodie.

 

“I tried to find the smallest one I had. Hopefully it’s not too big,” Berwald said quietly, handing him the jacket. Tino stood and held it up in front of him, almost laughing at how big it would be on him. Berwald really was a lot taller than him, so when he pulled it on and the sleeves completely covered his hands and the hem reached mid-thigh, he wasn’t very surprised. He would’ve been embarrassed by wearing such a ridiculously sized jacket, but being able to smell Berwald’s scent so closely was extremely relaxing and now that the silly shirt he was wearing was mostly covered, he was just back to wanting to take a nap.

 

“Thanks, Ber,” he said, putting a hand on his forearm softly after rolling up the sleeves and looking up at him as earnestly as possible, happy that Berwald’s cheeks were still covered in that blush, “It’s very warm! Now all I need is a nice, long rest,” he gave his best smile and sat back down on the bed, gesturing for Berwald to sit next to him, but the taller man just held out his hand for Tino to take.

 

When Tino just gave him a confused look, Berwald quickly elaborated, “Everyone else will probably be home soon, it’s probably not best to fall asleep upstairs,” Tino nodded in understanding and took his hand, blushing at the shiver that ran through both of them as their fingers touched.

 

“Can I take a nap on the couch, then? I really am tired!” Tino said, linking their fingers together shyly, even though he’d already stood up and didn’t necessarily need to

 

“‘Course you can,” Berwald practically whispered, his fixed gaze on how their palms pressed together comfortably.

 

They eventually went back downstairs, Berwald pointing out which rooms were which and Tino committing it all to memory. He briefly wondered which room he would sleep in tonight, but his heart beat like a drum when he realized it would probably be Berwald’s, so he didn’t think about it anymore. Berwald stopped and got a thin blanket out of the linen closet for Tino’s nap and Tino squeezed his hand gratefully, earning another blush from the tall man.

 

Tino pulled them to one of the three couches in the living area and made a mental note to ask just how rich they actually were, because this house was huge and that television hanging on the wall probably cost more than his entire life. He pushed Berwald lightly on the chest to make him sit down, then after a moment of nervous thoughts running around each other in his mind, he sat down softly next to him, curling up in the blanket and reveling in the absolutely amazing smell that was coming from all angles now. He looked expectantly at Berwald and put a hand on his chest, lightly pushing him so he was leaning back on the couch. Tino pouted and whined, “Get comfortable! We can’t take a nap if you’re sitting up!”

 

Berwald’s mouth opened in surprise and Tino laughed quietly at his mate’s shyness despite his intimidating appearance, “Do you want me to move to another couch? That’s fine! Though, it would be warmer if we were together…”

 

Tino trailed off and bit his lip, looking up at Berwald hopefully. He really would move to another couch if his mate wanted him to, but he didn’t want to at all. How could he, when Berwald was so warm and comfortable! He was still looking at Berwald hopefully when he felt a big hand come to rest on his waist. He could feel the heat on his cheeks and he pushed his face into Berwald’s shoulder to hide it. Berwald cleared his throat and shifted so he laying back all the way, “This is good,” he said quietly, making Tino giggle and curl up comfortably next to him.

  
“Sweet dreams, Ber,” he whispered, drawing a shiver out of the taller man. He still felt emotionally and physically exhausted, but this helped. This helped him feel happy and secure, something he definitely needed right now. The way their scents were tangling together to create a beautiful, made-for-each-other smell that wrapped around him comfortably and sang him to sleep with it’s sweet voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a weird ending ugh!!! tbh just expect that from every chapter, i have no idea how to end things :( another thing, im very sorry if i missed something while editing this!!! its 5 am and im just trying to get this up as quick as possible so u guys dont have to wait any longer!!!!!!!! :0
> 
> anyways!!!! thank you so SO SO much for reading, it means a lot :D please PLEASE comment!!! they are my favorite thing in the world and i reply to all of them!!!
> 
> next chapter is finally when things start going FINALLY!!!!!! expect mentions of the other hetalia characters, nordic family goodness, and, as always, insanely sweet and fluffy sufin moments :DDD!!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay here we go :( i know this chapter is a week late, im so so so so sorry. my computer has been completely ruined so my chapters might be a little delayed in the near future. im posting this quickly from my moms computer gh i hope you guys can forgive me :( this has really been stressing me out :( sorry i am not my usual cheerful self right now, im just rly frustrated
> 
> ANYWAYS theres two things i need to go over before i can finally let you guys read the chapter.
> 
> thing #1: what human names ive chose for the countries that dont have official ones!
> 
> Portugal: Enrique  
> Netherlands: Lars  
> Belgium: Bella  
> Luxembourg: Micah  
> Ukraine: Yekaterina (only putting this here before im not sure if its an official name or not)  
> Romania: Vladimir (again, not sure if its an official name)  
> Moldova: Maxim  
> Bulgaria: Stefan  
> Australia: Kyle  
> New Zealand: Noah  
> Taiwan: Mei  
> Vietnam: Nhi
> 
> i hope you like them!!! my personal favorites are moldova and bulgarias names :)
> 
> thing #2: what ships will be in this!!!!
> 
> i know this is very important in a story, but hopefully you will keep reading even if there is a ship you dont like!! theres many, so please give it a chance before you decide to stop reading!!!
> 
> sweden/finland, denmark/norway, spain/romano, germany/italy, america/japan, france/england, prussia/canada, russia/china, poland/lithuania, austria/hungary, greece/turkey, netherlands/portugal, and taiwan/vietnam
> 
>  
> 
> note: theres only one ship im leaving out so itll be a surprise :D ah without further ado, lets start the chapter!!!!

Waking up to yelling was never a fun experience, but it was especially annoying when the yelling was accompanied with a punch in the stomach. Berwald’s eyes shot open and immediately glared up at Lukas and Emil, the perpetrators of such a heinous act. He moved to wave the brothers away, but his movement was halted by a light weight laying on his arm. He looked down and immediately met his mate's sleepy eyes. His heart melted as Tino stretched and yawned, looking confusedly up at their pack mates, “Is it time to get up?" he said quietly, rubbing his eyes with a balled up fist.

 

“Yeah, man. We just got home,” Lukas said, looking at them both with an annoying smirk on his face, “I feel bad waking you guys up, you looked so cute. But don’t worry, we got some pictures,” he uncrossed his arms from his chest and held up his phone mockingly. 

 

Tino’s cheeks reddened and he sat up, now kneeling on the couch next to Berwald, but not moving far away enough to where his mate’s hand would be taken off his waist. The blanket covered him up mostly, but Berwald could feel bare skin where his shirt had ridden up during their nap. He gulped as Tino stretched again and smiled, “Oh...that’s okay, I guess! Do I look okay in them?”

 

Emil rolled his eyes just as Mathias banged the front door open, staggering under the weight of all the grocery bags. Tino jumped at the sudden noise and Berwald rubbed his side softly to calm him. Mathias groaned loudly and made his way into the kitchen, going as quickly as he could without dropping anything, “I love you guys, I really really do, but it would be nice if ya’ll helped!” he yelled, sounding like he was half-joking, half-annoyed. Berwald wasn't worried though, he had only seen him actually annoyed a few times in their long lives together, and never at a member of his own pack, especially not over something so silly.

 

Lukas sighed in a put-upon way and tugged Tino to his feet roughly, and Berwald had no time to growl or even get mad before he was pulled to his feet too. Tino stumbled and steadied himself by putting his hand on Berwald's shoulder. Though he definitely didn't appreciate being ripped from where he was happily holding his mate- for the first time, too!-, at least he was still close. Emil grabbed Tino and Berwald's wrists and dragged them to the kitchen, Lukas following closely behind. 

 

Tino eyes widened, probably surprised at being manhandled so quickly after waking up. Berwald put his hand on the small of his back once Emil had determined them awake enough to walk on their own, guiding him to sit down on one of the bar stools at the counter facing the kitchen. Tino smiled up at him then glanced at Mathias putting the groceries away and whispered, “Should I help him? I don’t want to be rude!”

 

“It’s fine,” Lukas interrupted, plopping himself down in the chair on the other side of Tino, “Besides, he’s the Alpha. If he can’t even handle our groceries, then how can we expect him to handle leading the pack? If he can't, then maybe I should take myself and Emil to some other pack,” he said boredly, making Tino’s jaw drop in shock. He whipped around to look back at Berwald and he looked so adorably alarmed that Berwald felt guilty for how Lukas acted. After living with him for so long, he was used to the general coldness of his attitude, especially once he realized that it was his twisted sense of humor that made him say those things, not actual animosity towards his mate. He opened his mouth to tell Tino this, but his mate was already looking back at Lukas, who was now being attacked with a sudden, open-mouthed kiss from Mathias. Tino watched in shock as the Alpha leaned over the counter to pull Lukas forward into what Berwald could see was an obviously possessive kiss.

 

“Don’t pay attention to them,” Emil said, walking into the kitchen and looking through the fridge, “They do this, like, every day. This is probably the millionth time Lukas has said he’ll take me and go join the Mediterranean pack or something. Though that would fun, I guess. I do like the sunshine,” he laughed at Mathias’s growl and placed a jug of juice into the side compartment of the fridge. He rummaged through the plastic bags on the counter and held up two bags of marshmallows, “Mm, finally. I’m so hungry.”

 

Tino brightened up at the treats and chose to ignore the couple now making out next to him, though a faint blush still covered his cheeks. Berwald briefly wondered if Tino was interested in kissing him like that, but he shoved the thought out of his mind as soon as it came. Now was not the time or place to be thinking of things like that, after all. He knew Tino was scared out of his mind, and making an over-the-top advance like that would probably just scare him even more. Contrary to his thoughts,Tino scooted a little closer to Berwald, who was still standing at his side, and smiled widely, “Marshmallows! Oooh, I’m really hungry too!”

 

“I can make something for dinner, if you’d like,” Berwald offered. Normally Lukas made their meals, claiming that he was the only one who made fish right, but he’d gladly make something for Tino.

 

“Oh, really?! That would be so nice, thank you!” Tino gushed, “All of you have been so nice to me, I am very grateful!”

 

“You’ve been really nice to us, Tino,” Lukas said, pulling away from the kiss and rolling his eyes at Mathias’s proud smirk towards his disheveled appearance. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “This is definitely a tough situation to be in, it’s perfectly normal to completely freak out. In fact, I’ve never seen someone fit into a pack so quickly.”

 

“Really? I just feel, like, really alarmed. Sorta floaty, you know? But anyways, you keep mentioning other packs! I want to know about them!” Tino exclaimed, looking happily at all the snacks Emil and Mathias were now pulling out of the bags, "Are they nice? Am I allowed to make friends with them? Can I even meet them?”

 

“Don’t worry, my man, we’ll tell you allll about it during our total s’mores feast!” Mathias whooped and slammed the cabinet he was stuffing bags of chips into shut, "Luke, let's go make the fire!"

 

"Fine, fine," Lukas slipped off the stool and gave a parting wave to Tino and Berwald, "And yeah, we'll tell you all about the other packs outside," he spun on his heel and walked towards the door leading to the back yard, commanding Mathias to go get the firewood from the car. 

 

Emil followed them, carrying the bags of marshmallows and a box of graham crackers with him, "Can you guys bring the rest? I can only carry so much, you know."

 

Tino jumped up with an enthusiastic 'yes!' and hurried around the counter, Berwald following behind him quickly. Tino hummed and picked up the other box of graham crackers, “That wasn’t really the best way to wake up, huh? I feel so sleepy still! I did get a good rest, though. You’re very comfortable! And warm!” Tino smiled widely and Berwald busied himself with getting the sticks to roast marshmallows on to hide his red cheeks.

 

But Tino saw his face, and when his cute giggle filled the air, Berwald turned completely away, frustrated with how flustered he was around his mate. Tino laughed, “Aw! Nooo, I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” 

 

Berwald cleared his throat and turned back around to look at Tino. He was the fucking Beta of the Nordic pack and this was his  mate , he could face him like a man! His thoughts were a good enough push to get him to meet Tino’s eyes, but his courage quickly dissolved once he saw how happy and  cute  the expression on his face was. He felt a prideful, possessive ooze of emotion seep into his heart at the fact that he was the cause of that happy look. Tino’s smile slid into something a little more shy, and he reached out to take Berwald’s hand, “Come on, Ber. I really do want to learn about the other packs! It does seem weird to have s'mores before dinner, but I guess that's not the weirdest thing that's happened today, haha!" Tino laughed and tugged on his hand, leading him out of the kitchen. 

 

Berwald grabbed the packs of chocolate bars on the counter with his free hand and let Tino pull him to the rest of the pack, barely focusing on anything but the back of Tino's head. They got outside and Mathias looked up from where he was hauling a pile of firewood to the fire pit. He looked up to call out a greeting, but stopped short when he looked at Tino. His mouth hung open in a delighted, this-is-too-good-to-be-real grin and Berwald furrowed his brows, wondering what he was looking at, before he remembered the t-shirt Tino was wearing. He glanced down and, sure enough, Berwald’s hoodie was open and the offending shirt was visible to all who looked. Tino glanced between him and Mathias, then down at his shirt, and he gasped and hurriedly pulled the big hoodie closed. Mathias immediately doubled over laughing, “Oh my god! Tino! Nice shirt, bro!”  

 

Tino’s face turned bright red and he hurried behind Berwald, fisting his shirt in his hands and hiding his face in his shoulder blades. Tino whined and yelled out, muffled because his mouth was covered, but still loud enough for Mathias to hear, “Leave me alone! Shut up! It’s all I had to wear!” when the laughter didn’t stop he groaned, “Please stop laughing!”

 

“This is too fucking good! Like, way, way too good! Luke!” Mathias pointed to Lukas happily, almost dropping the firewood, “I’m so proud of you! You’re so evil, man! I love it! I love you!”

 

Mathias ran over to where Lukas was scoffing and dropped the logs into the fire pit for Emil to start the fire, only to promptly gather Lukas in his arms as a replacement. Lukas groaned and pushed at his chest, “Ugh, let go of me. I didn’t even do anything, dickhead,” he resisted for another moment, then sighed and let himself be smothered with affection.

 

Now that the rest of their pack was busy, Tino peeked out from behind Berwald’s arm, “I’m so embarrassed…” Tino’s grip left a burning touch on his skin and he turned around to face him, still blocking him from everyone else’s view. Tino’s cheeks were bright red and he refused to meet his eyes, but he still stepped forward to press his forehead on his chest and cling to his shirt again. Berwald froze and his hands hovered awkwardly over Tino’s hips before finally resting them lightly on his waist.

 

“Um…” Berwald started, fingers twitching when he felt Tino sigh and shift closer, “Do you want to go back inside and get that blanket from the couch to cover yourself up?”

 

Tino pulled back a fraction and smiled weakly, “Yeah, I’ll do that. I don’t think anyone wants to see my tummy anyways, heh.”

 

Berwald’s hands moved down to Tino’s hips without thinking, his own body protesting to his mate’s words so much that he couldn’t help but let himself touch around said area. A breathe intake came from both of them when his hands hit Tino’s warm, soft skin. He was sure they looked silly to the others, standing there and touching each other so gently with bright red cheeks while Mathias and Lukas were practically ravishing each other barely five meters away, but he found that he didn’t really care. Berwald definitely wanted to do everything and more with Tino, but he didn’t want to rush in to it. They had basically forever to be together, after all. Waiting a while to kiss him wouldn’t kill him. Probably.

 

Tino unclenched his hands from Berwald’s shirt and backed up until they weren’t touching anymore. Everywhere they were touching burned with a need for his mate to touch there again as Tino pulled down the shirt shyly and stepped back to the door to get the blanket. Berwald stood there for another moment, still feeling a little dazed, before turning to the rest of his pack and moving to help Emil get the fire to grow. Mathias and Lukas were settled down now, and they were setting up the food, Lukas occasionally throwing a marshmallow at Mathias for him to try to catch in his mouth. Berwald couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face at that moment. Everything seemed so right in his life now that Tino was in the pack. It was like he was looking through a veil before, but now everything was crystal clear and stunning. 

 

“Hey, Ber, get that dopey look off your face and come move this log thing so it's not so close to the fire," Emil said, gesturing to one of the three logs settled around the fire pit as seating. Berwald got to work and few minutes later, just when he was starting to wonder if Tino was okay, the back door opened again and his mate was heading towards him, all wrapped up in the blanket from the couch. Berwald sat down on the log and made sure to leave a lot of room next to him so Tino could sit as far away or as close as he wanted. He hoped it was the latter, of course, but he was perfectly willing to respect unspoken boundaries, even if he wasn't quite sure what they were yet. 

 

Tino didn't disappoint, however. He plopped himself right next to Berwald so mere inches were separating them and laughed, taking the bag of marshmallows Emil handed to him, "I wish Hana were here! She loves marshmallows!"

 

"She looks like a fucking marshmallow," Lukas quipped, smirking at Tino's hurt protest. 

 

"Are dogs even supposed to eat marshmallows?" Mathias said, stretching out on the log and putting his head in Lukas's lap, putting his stick of marshmallows over the fire.

 

"You’re eating them!” Tino stuck his tongue out at Mathias and laughed, “I think it’s chocolate they aren’t allowed to have, right?”

 

He turned to Berwald and looked satisfied when he nodded. Tino scooted a little closer so their arms were touching and smiled back at the group, “Okay, now tell me all about the other packs! And you guys never answered my questions,” he pouted, jutting out his lip cutely, “Are they nice? Can I meet them?”

 

“Yes, you can meet them,” Berwald said, happy to have Tino's attention, “Twice a year, all the packs have a big meet up in London. They began so we could talk about territory and settle arguments, but now it’s mostly just to catch up with friends.”

 

“Even though we don’t need to,” Emil complained, purposely lighting his marshmallow on fire, “It’s so annoying, going all that way just to watch everyone fight. It takes so much time to organize a hotel for that many people to stay in, and all that ever happens is people fuckin’ arguing. So annoying.”

 

Tino looked amazed, eyes wide like the moon, “How many werewolves are there? When is the next meet?”

 

“The next one’s actually in about two weeks,” Lukas said, his words slightly muffled from the s’more he was eating, “There were thirty-seven people last meet. Thirty-eight people with you.”

 

Berwald took his marshmallow from the fire and smooshed it in between two graham crackers and half a chocolate bar. He handed it to Tino and was granted a wide, excited smile, “Thank you! So, are you friends with everyone? Is there anyone I shouldn’t talk to? Thirty-eight is a lot of people, there has to be someone you don’t like!”

 

“I don’t like most of them,” Lukas snorted, “In fact, compared to the other packs, we’re pretty out of the loop.”

 

“What do you mean?” Tino looked disappointed, “Do they not like us?”

 

Berwald’s heart soared at that ‘us’ and he barely paid attention to Lukas’s answer, “No, we just don't really have a reason to see anyone outside of the meets. There’s a LOT of cross-pack mating in some of the other packs. Like, a whole fuck ton. Since it’s pretty much impossible for mates to live without each other once they’ve met, those packs have to meet up a lot more than we have to meet up with them. But even then, those mates really only get to see each other a couple weeks every few months.”

 

“Wow,” Tino breathed out, keeping his gaze steady on the fire as he ate his treat, “I don’t think I would want a mate in another pack. How sad.”

 

“Mhm, it is sad. Guess you got lucky, didn’t you?” Lukas said, smirking at Tino and Berwald when they both looked embarrassed.  


 

“Who has a mate in another pack? I want to know specifics! Tell me all about everyone!” Tino said, finishing his s’more and excitedly clapping his hands together, “ I mean, you guys have known each other forever! You must know all about them! Tell me all the juicy details!

 

Mathias sat up to get another chocolate bar and grinned at Tino, “Let’s start with the loners, then! Loners are people who don’t wanna join packs, so they just chill out on their own. They still come to the meet ups, though! But I don’t think they really want to, haha!”

 

“One of the few people I  do  like is a loner, actually. His name is Vladimir and he only lives with his little brother, Maxim, and his mate, Stefan. He’s really interesting,” Lukas said, sighing contentedly and moving so his head was on Mathias’s lap now.

 

“All you guys do is watch scary movies together,” Emil rolled his eyes, “He’s fucking weird, I don’t like him that much.”

 

“How is he weird?” Tino asked, obviously ecstatic about this new information he was getting.

 

“Okay, so like, his little brother was turned at the age of 8, right? That’s depressing as fuck already, but get this, Vlad forced his little bro to bite him so he could change too. To take care of him, or whatever. That’s a sign of brotherly love, huh?” Emil said, pleased at Tino’s shocked face, “That’s totally crazy, right? He  chose  to become a werewolf!”

 

“It’s not that weird, lots of siblings made the other one bite them so they could turn too,” Lukas protested.

 

“Yeah, but those other siblings didn’t have one of them only being eight years old! Vladimir is around twenty, I think. But anyways, that’s not even the creepiest part! Vlad and Stefan are actually doctors, like they work in hospital and everything. But here’s the thing, they fucking  steal blood bags  from the hospital and Max and Vlad  drink  them! Like vampires! Stefan hunts normally, thank God, but they insist on drinking blood all the time!”

 

Lukas glared at Emil, “He said it’s so he doesn’t have to hurt any animals. I think it’s very cool, actually.” 

 

“It’s fucking weird, that’s what it is,” Emil said firmly. Tino just looked sort of shocked and very disgusted, so Berwald decided to take a chance and lace their fingers together slowly to calm him down. Tino’s eyes moved to him and he forced himself to meet his mate’s eyes, not wanting to look like a coward. Tino’s smile came back to life and he squeezed his hand gently.

 

He turned back to the group and smiled, “Okay, so Vladimir, Stefan, and Maxim, the vampire-wolf hybrids who are doctors!” he giggled, “That’s crazy! They seem like a cute little family, though! Are they the only loners?”

 

“Nah, there’s two more! More brothers, actually, named Kyle and Noah!” Mathias said, “They live in Australia! They don’t like getting all mixed up in pack drama either, even though they are pretty close to the English pack. Me and Kyle are pretty tight, we play a lot of video games together whenever I see him! Noah’s around 13 years old, so he likes to join in a lot!”

 

“Aw! That sounds like fun! It’s really sad how people are being turned so young, though” Tino frowned for a second, then smiled again, “So Kyle is nice?” 

 

“Kyle’s loud,” Berwald said, like that answered the question, “I guess Mathias is loud too, so it makes sense that they’re good friends.”

 

“Hey! It’s not my fault you and Emil don’t have any friends outside the pack! Don’t hate on mine, loser!”

 

“We don’t want to be friends with those assholes, loser,” Emil scoffed, “Besides, you don’t even have any friends either. All you do at meets is follow Lukas around or argue with people about getting too close to him.”

 

Mathias laughed loudly and gently twirled some of Lukas’s hair around his fingers, “Haha, I guess that is sorta true! I don’t know what it is, but being around all those other Alphas makes me so protective,” he paused, smiling softly when Lukas moved so he could kiss his palm lightly, “It’s not just over Luke, either. It’s over all of you, ya know?”

 

“Yeah, it makes sense,” Emil said, watching his brother and his Alpha with slightly upturned lips. Berwald rubbed his thumb on Tino’s hand, heart racing like a horse. He could only imagine how protective he was going to be of his mate in two weeks, and all he could hope was that Tino wouldn’t mind too much. Maybe he’d even appreciate someone taking care of him around all those intimidating werewolves! Hopefully...  


 

Tino looked up at him and smiled softly, butting his forehead playfully on Berwald’s shoulder. Emil sighed and laid down on his log too, munching on a graham cracker, “Hm, this makes me one of the only people without a mate. That’s sad, I guess. I don’t mind being one of the last, as long as I’m not the very last one, you know?”

 

“You’re not ready for a mate yet, you’re just a baby,” Lukas said. Emil shot him a nasty glare and threw a marshmallow at his face.

 

“So mostly everyone has a mate?” Tino asked, sitting up from where he was laying against Berwald’s shoulder, but still scooted so their sides were touching. He tucked his feet behind Berwald’s and and hugged Berwald’s arm to his chest, still holding his hand. Berwald desperately wanted to drag Tino onto his lap and wrap his arms around his warm body, but that wasn't really realistic right now. Plus he didn't think he could deal with his pack's embarrassing antics at that action, anyway.  


 

“Yeah, only a few people aren’t matched up with someone,” Emil said, “But that’s not really important, plus we still haven’t even told you about any of the packs, wouldn’t you rather hear about them?”

 

“Oh! Yes, yes! I really want to hear about them!” Tino squeezed Berwald’s arm a little tighter, getting comfortable for the long talk ahead of them, “Thirty-eight people, huh? This’ll take a while!”

 

“It’ll probably be sunset by the time we’re done,” Lukas sighed, “So let’s just get started. Let’s start with the two biggest packs, yeah?”

 

Tino nodded frantically and leaned forward, “I’m all ears!”

 

“Good. Okay, so the Russian pack. Probably the weirdest pack out of everyone-”

 

“The Russian pack! What a psycho bunch, haha! Half of them are terrifying and the other half is terrified of them!” Mathias interrupted loudly, “There’s seven people in that pack, and I swear the Alpha is, like, forcing most of them to stay. His name is Ivan and dude, he’s so fuckin’ creepy! He’s this huge Russian guy who has the most insane smile, man, just wait ‘til you see i-”

 

“Mathias, you talk way too much,” Lukas said, stuffing a few marshmallows in his mate’s mouth to shut him up. He rolled his eyes at the muffled complaints he got and looked at Tino, “Anyways, Ivan is the Alpha. His two sisters are named Natalia, the Beta, and Yekaterina. I don’t know much about them, but I think Natalia begged him to turn her once she found out, and Yekaterina couldn’t just be left behind, so he changed them both.”

 

“Wow, there really are a lot of siblings that are werewolves, huh?” Tino breathed out, looking and sounding completely amazed.

 

“Yeah, man. It’s crazy,” Mathis sighed, stretching out his legs, “People don’t want to live without their siblings, I guess!”

 

Emil and Lukas looked at each other for a second before Emil sighed and glanced back at Tino, “There’s four other members, too. Feliks and Toris, who are mates. They were actually together before they even turned into wolves, isn’t that interesting? It would suck if you were turned and the person you thought you loved wasn’t your mate, haha,” Emil laughed quietly and moved on, “Raivis, who insists he’s 15, but I swear he looks 12, and Eduard, who definitely hates being in that pack.”

 

“Why won’t he leave then? Oh wait- Ivan is forcing him to stay, you said?” Tino asked, wide eyes rapidly moving around the semicircle.   


 

“Yeah, dude. Eduard even asked me like a decade ago to join  our  pack! Can you believe that?! I told him no, obviously, because I thought Ivan might attack us if he thought that we were ‘stealing his pack’ or whatever. Everyone knows he’s a bad Alpha, though, I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly be in that pack…”

 

“What makes him bad?” Tino asked again, arms still hugging Berwald’s arm tight.

 

“Hmm… I guess Ivan’s just really controlling? He and his sisters were the only ones in the pack for good couple centuries, so I guess he’s just desperate to keep everyone else in the pack. I feel bad for him, though,” Lukas hummed, “I don’t think he means to be so overbearing. He just wants his pack to like him, probably. He’s pretty sweet to his mate, though."

 

“Who’s his mate?” Tino said hurriedly, totally invested in the conversation.

 

“The leader of the Asian pack,” Lukas answered, “They’re cute together, it shows that Ivan actually has a loving side, that’s for sure.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Mathias huffed, “He talks to you and Emil a little too much for my liking, though,” he pouted and Lukas reached up to pat his cheek. He leaned his cheek into his mate’s hand and laughed, “Okay, so that’s the Russian pack! Sorry that there’s not much to say about them, they like to mostly keep to themselves.”

 

“It’s okay, though, because the next pack doesn’t know how to fucking leave people alone,” Lukas rolled his eyes, “It’s the Mediterranean pack. They’re all okay, I guess, I just wish they’d shut the fuck up some time soon. I’ve been listening to them argue for fucking centuries and I’m sick of it.”

 

“I think that pack is the most interesting out of everyone," Emil said, "There's three sets of siblings and insane pack drama all the time, it's pretty cool. They’re actually the biggest pack, but I can never keep up with all of their bullshit, so I never remember who’s left. Especially since half of them want to leave the pack anyways.”

 

"Three pairs of siblings?!" Tino exclaimed, looking surprisedly up at his mate for confirmation. Berwald nodded, pressed their palms together and ate another toasted marshmallow to hide the grin that was threatening to show itself when Tino squeezed back. 

 

"Yeah! Let’s see… there’s Antonio, the Alpha. He's Spanish, so you know he's super loud and happy. He puts up with so much shit from his pack, I don’t know how he keeps on a smile on his face!”

 

“Probably similar to how you keep yours,” Lukas said, poking one of Mathias’s dimples, “But you’re right, Antonio puts up with a lot. His brother, Enrique, is cheerful too, but they seem to be in some kind of rivalry or whatever. Always pranking each other and arguing, it’s so troublesome.”

 

“Dude, don’t forget his mate!” Mathias interjected, “His name is Lovino and I swore he hated Antonio for almost a full century, but I guess he was angry about being turned? He’s still pretty mean, but he’s definitely calmed down in the past century or so.”

 

Emil threw a marshmallow into the fire and snorted, “Lovino is just shy. If you actually watch him and Antonio, they’re one of the more affectionate couples. No, really,” he insisted at Mathias’s disbelieving scoff, “They compliment each other, I think.”

 

“How much time do you spend watching all the couples, huh?” Mathias teased, laughing at the blush that ruptured on Emil’s cheeks, “All I really know about them is that they met in Italy when Lovino and his brother were children, and Antonio waited until he was an adult to change them both. It’s a little creepy, but at least he didn’t change him the second he saw him, ya know?”

 

Tino’s eyes widened, “Oh wow! That must’ve been really hard for Antonio!”

 

“Definitely. I can’t even imagine staying away from Lukas for even a few hours, let alone almost a  decade . I don’t feel too bad anymore, though, their sex life is obviously very active, haha! The only ones more active than them is me and Luk- babe, come on! That hurts!”

 

Lukas let go of where he was pinching his mate’s skin and scoffed, “I hate you sometimes, dickhead.”

 

Tino’s cheeks were scarlet and he hid his face in the blanket around his shoulders, “Well, I’m sure it’ll be very nice to meet them.”

 

“Mhm, you’ll see a lot of them at the next meet. They’re pretty hard to miss,” Lukas said, sitting up to reach for another chocolate bar. He sat upright and peeled open the wrapper, “Anyways, on to the rest of the pack. Enrique’s mate is named Lars, who somehow gets along with Antonio even worse than  anyone  does. You’d think he would at least try to get along with the Alpha, especially considering that his mate is his brother, but they’ve never  ever  gotten along.”

 

“The only reason he’s probably staying in that pack is because of Enrique and his two siblings, Micah and Bella. He wouldn’t leave without Enrique, and his younger siblings wouldn’t leave without him, ya know? He’s pretty quiet, sorta like Ber, but the difference is that Ber is actually nice. Lars only likes his siblings and Enrique and that’s it. Everyone knows he wants to leave the pack and start his own, or whatever, but he's just not an Alpha, so he can't. I guess he could be loners with his siblings, but he's too worried about money to leave the stability of a pack,” Emil said, looking embarrassed that he knew so much about the other pack.  


 

“Hm, Lars doesn’t seem that bad to me! Whatever, his siblings are really nice, though!” Mathias cheered, attempting to bring the mood up, “Bella makes really good food! And Micah looks like he could be Lukas’s brother, no joke!”

 

“I’m happy with just Emil as my little bro,” Lukas laughed gently, “But yeah, they seem alright. They just stick together a lot, I don’t think they’re interested in making friends with anyone in other packs. Which is fine, I’m not interested in making friends either.”

 

Tino hummed, taking a second to take in all the information he just got. He picked a little pill off his sweatpants and looked back up at Mathias, “What about the Beta? Who’s the Beta of their pack?”

 

“Oh yeah! His name is Sadiq, he’s a lot of fun!” Mathias answered happily, “He’s another one of my friends!”

 

“Ugh, why’d you have to make friends with all the loudest people?” Lukas complained.

 

“At least Sadiq is cool to be around! His mate is totally the most boring person on the planet!”

 

“Sadiq’s mate’s name is Heracles,” Emil interrupted, answering Tino’s confused look, “And yeah, it seems that most mates are complete opposites, but Heracles and Sadiq are so different that it’s sorta weird to see them as a couple.” 

 

“So Heracles is really quiet?” Tino tilted his head to the side cutely, “Since Sadiq is very loud?”

 

“More like Heracles is always asleep,” Emil snorted, “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen him awake for anything other than food or dancing.”

 

Tino threw his head back and laughed, a light sound that made Berwald’s heart twist. He bit the inside of his cheek to distract himself and focused solely on Tino’s words, “So that’s the whole pack? So many people! Let’s see… Antonio, Sadiq, Heracles… Lovino, Micah, Lars, and, uh, Bella! That’s everyone?"

 

"Not quite," Lukas said, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head, "There's one more member. Remember how Lovino had a brother? Well, his name is Feliciano. You’ll probably like him, you both are pretty cute and happy. Heh, he’s pretty different from his brother. But anyways, this is where that whole cross-pack mating thing comes in.”

 

“So his mate is in another pack?” Tino said. Berwald suddenly felt very lucky that he even had the privilege to be able to touch his mate whenever he wanted, unlike some of the other pairs of mates.

 

“Feliciano’s mate is actually the Alpha of the next pack we’re gonna talk about. His name is Ludwig and he’s like, a major control freak.”

 

“Dude, like half of the Germanic pack are all control freaks!” Mathias laughed and pulled Lukas bodily onto his lap, “The only one I like is the Beta, Gilbert. Everyone else either doesn’t talk to me at all, or says incredibly annoying bullshit when they do.”

 

“Mathias, you’re supposed to be making Tino want to meet the other packs. Stop making them look bad,” Emil said, rolling his eyes, “Who knows, maybe he’d love to be around Roderich and Vash.”

 

“Can we slow down a little? I’m not really f-” Tino tried to interject, but cut himself off when he realized most of the pack wasn’t listening. He huffed and looked up at Berwald, lowering his voice so only the other could hear, “Is it always like this? It’s hard to get a word in edgewise!”

 

“Mm, sorry. They like to argue,” Berwald answered, hoping his face didn’t actually look as ‘dopey’ as Emil said it did, “The Germanic pack is okay, though, in my opinion. Ludwig, the Alpha, is very strict. At the meet, he’ll be the one yelling at everyone to quiet down. Gilbert, the Beta, is Ludwig’s brother and one of the most annoying people in all the packs.”

 

Tino laughed quietly and Berwald felt short of breath at having all of his mate’s attention. Tightening his hold on Berwald’s hand, he said, “So steer clear of Ludwig and Gilbert at the next meet?”

 

“That’d probably be best,” he murmured back, feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything as of now, especially how Tino was acting so coupley and flirty already. He had no problem with it, of course, but no matter how much he wanted it, he couldn’t help the bashfulness creeping up on him. It had been a while since he'd tried to be in a relationship with someone, after all. Even though he and Tino were technically already in a relationship, all they had to do was get used to each other, “There’s another pair of siblings in the Germanic pack. Vash and Lilli. I don’t know much about either of them, but Vash is very protective of his little sister. He wants to be a loner, but he probably knows it’s safer to be in a pack than alone, so he stays.”

 

The rest of the pack had quietened down so they were listening again, but Tino kept his sparkling eyes on him, “That’s sweet of him! Do either of them have a mate? How many people are left in this pack? There’s, like, nine people in the Mediterranean pack! Are they all like that?”

 

His lips twitched, threatening to smile at how adorable Tino’s curiosity was, “Vash and Lilli don’t have mates, no. There's only two more members in the pack. Roderich and Elizaveta. They’re mates and I-”

 

“Yo, don’t even bother telling Tino about them, there’s no way in hell he’d like them! Elizaveta’s okay most of the time, but she gets really scary over some stuff, it’s creepy as hell, dude,” Mathias interrupted, obviously not liking not being in the conversation, “And Roderich’s just really bitchy and weir-”

 

“Ugh, shut up,” Lukas said, pinching the arm that was around his waist, “You really are doing a bad job of making him excited to meet them,” he looked back at Tino, “Elizaveta’s very pretty and nice, and Roderich is… eccentric, but an amazing piano player.”

 

Tino looked surprised that Berwald was interrupted, but he managed to focus and join back into the conversation, “You guys don’t like a lot of people, huh! I’m sure everyone can’t be that bad!”

 

“It’s not necessarily that we don’t like anyone, it’s mainly indifference from me and Ber, annoyance from Lukas, and Mathias, well, he likes everyone mostly. You’ll probably end up liking everyone anyways, you seem like the type," Emil mused. 

 

Tino used the tip of his finger to draw small shapes on Berwald's wrist, “I just hope I get along with everyone! I don’t want anyone to hate me…”

 

Emil scoffed, “If anything, we’ll have a problem with people liking you  too  much.”

 

“Yeah, that’ll definitely come up,” Lukas said cooly, smirking at Berwald’s thunderous expression, “Just imagine what someone like Gilbert or Francis will have to say about him.”

 

Lukas folded his arms smugly over his chest and tilted his chin up, looking at Berwald with that same challenging smirk he put on almost every day. Clenching the fist that wasn’t still delicately holding Tino’s hand, Berwald glared back. He didn’t even want to think about what some of the… friendlier people in the packs would have to say about his mate’s cuteness. There were a lot of cocky bastards who were always looking for a way to show their superiority, and there’s no way they would pass up a chance to hit on someone like Tino. Just the thought alone made his scowl deepen, consequently making Lukas smirk even more. Mathias laughed and hugged his mate to his chest tighter and Emil rolled his eyes.

 

Tino eyes moved rapidly around the group and he furrowed his brows, “Um, who’s Francis? What would he and Gilbert have to say about me?”

 

“They both just like cute things, and they’ll definitely like you,” Emil answered honestly, laughing quietly at Tino’s blush, “Francis is part of the English pack. His mate is the Alpha, Arthur, but he still manages to flirt with every single person in view, especially if they're as cute as you. Maybe that's why Arthur's always in a sour mood, heh."

 

Lukas nodded at his brother's words, "Probably. I like him, though. We watch horror movies with Vlad at meets, it’s pretty cool. But it’s not like Francis doesn’t give him attention after flirting with someone else. I’ve probably caught them making out more than anyone else. Anyways, that’s Francis and Arthur. There’s only two members left in this pack, a pair of brothers named Alfred and Matthew.”

 

“Alfred’s really awesome!” Mathias cheered, hooking his chin over Lukas’s shoulder, “He’s one of my favorite people in the other packs! Mattie’s cool too, he’s just super quiet.”

 

“Alfred’s fucking loud,” Emil said, “Matthew is cool, though. We spend a lot of time together, mainly because of our way overprotective Alphas.”

 

Mathias laughed at the glare he got, “Hey, don’t blame me! I’m just keeping the baby of the pack safe!”

 

Emil groaned and hid his face in his hands, “Well, I’m not the baby anymore. You can go keep Tino safe now, I won’t miss it.”

 

“I’ll keep all of you safe! Technically, you’re all younger than me so you’re all the babies of the pack compared to me!” a wide, cheesy grin spread over his face at his pack’s embarrassed or annoyed looks.

 

“Oh my god, how do I even deal with you every day,” Lukas muttered, leaning his head forward a little so Mathias could kiss the back of his neck.

 

Tino giggled and leaned more into Berwald’s side, “There’s only four people in the English pack?” he questioned, going back to the original conversation with a cute blush on his face.

 

“Only four,” Lukas confirmed, “We were tied with them for being the smallest packs, but now that we have you, they’re officially the smallest pack. They spend most of their time with other packs, though. In fact, the English, Mediterranean, and Germanic packs should all just join together to form one huge pack,” he laughed, “Heh, if only that were possible. Then we’d be spared from seeing all of them act like they haven’t seen each other in years at meets, even though everyone knows they all get together like twice a month. It’s ridiculous.”

 

“Yeah, there’s a ton of really close friends in those packs! Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis are all very, very close friends, and of course there’s the whole mates situation,” Mathias explained, “Almost everyone in those packs are mated with someone in one of the other two packs, it’s crazy! Mattie has Gilbert, the Beta of the Germanic pack, remember? Actually, I think Alfred is the only one in those three packs whose mate isn’t in the that little group.”

 

“Really?! Who’s his mate?” Tino asked, relacing he and Berwald’s fingers so their palms were fully touching. A little electricity sparked when their skin met, traveling from Berwald’s hands straight into the pit of his stomach. 

 

“Alfred’s mate is in the last pack we have to talk about, the Asian pack. His mate’s name is Kiku and he’s very polite and kind. And, he's the Beta. It's hard for anyone to be in a different pack from their mate, but it particularly sucks for them because the English pack lives mainly in England or France, and the Asian pack lives in China or Japan most of the time. Living so far apart from your mate is really rough. Luckily for them, they're both Betas, so they have the power to go visit each other more," Lukas explained, eyes gazing over the trees as the sun began to slowly set. Berwald looked at Tino for a second, only to have his breath taken away when his mate's eyes were looking back at him, the pinks and reds of the sky reflecting in his wide eyes beautifully. 

 

They looked at each other for a second, before Tino cleared his throat and looked back at Lukas, "So, um, Kiku and Alfred don't get to see each other much?"

 

"Not really," Emil sighed, leaning forward to warm his hands over the fire, "They see each other for a week every month, I think. But that’s still three weeks every month living without your mate, you know? It’s really hard for them, but when they do get to see each other, it’s even more special, I guess.”

 

Tino looked a little upset, “I don’t really understand why they can’t live together! I know Alfred has his brother, but does Kiku have a sibling keeping him in that pack or something?”

 

“No, Kiku doesn’t have a sibling,” Lukas replied gently. Berwald was thankful that he could be patient and kind when he wanted to be. He was sure that if were anyone outside of the pack, he’d be acting just as rude as he normally did, “But he’s the Beta of the pack, he has a responsibility. Plus, packs really are like a family, you can’t just leave.”

 

Tino looked distraught for a second and like he was going to argue, but he sighed and slumped over, “Well, I guess if that’s how it has to be, that’s how it has to be. That makes me really sad, though!”

 

“Yeah, it’s sad,” Lukas agreed, stretching out his legs and leaning back in his mate’s arms, “At least they get to see each other at all, though. It’s so peaceful and friendly nowadays, it’s weird to think that not even a century ago, everyone was at war with each other.”

 

“War?! Like, actual fighting?!” Tino exclaimed, mouth widening into a surprised ‘o’.

 

“Yeah, it was crazy. All packs were so against each other, that mates who weren’t in the same pack weren’t even allowed to see each other for almost a year and a half. It just wasn’t safe, ya know? Everyone was pitted against each other, and Alfred and Kiku were at the worst of it. The English and the Asian packs were at the um, heat of the battle, I guess you could say. At one point, they were almost forced to fight each other. We were there when their Alphas ordered them to fight, and it was just… awful.” Emil explained, frowning down at his hands.

 

“What happened then?” the words came out as a whisper, Tino’s full attention placed on the members of his pack.

 

“They couldn’t do it, obviously,” Lukas said, tone cool and uncaring, but fingers shakily lacing themselves with Mathias’s showed he was anything but, “They were both in tears. It was fucking horrible, to say the least. Especially since Alfred and Kiku are definitely not criers. We didn’t see the whole thing, because Mathias made us leave before things got too bad, but I’m grateful for that, honestly. It made me feel sick to see them like that. All I know is that they didn't fight and Yao and Arthur ended that whole thing there with some sort of treaty.”

 

“I’ve never been more happy that me and Luke are in the same pack," Mathias said, pulling Lukas up on his lap so he could snuggle him close, "I can't even imagine if my Alpha was forcing me to actually fight Lukas. Ugh," he groaned, letting his head drop onto his mate’s shoulder, “I’m so glad I’m Alpha.”

 

Tino flexed his fingers around Berwald’s, looking deep in his thoughts. Berwald nudged him a little and he startled. Berwald rubbed Tino’s hand softly to calm him, and his mate gave him a small smile, “I’m glad that’s not how it is anymore. I don’t think I’d be as excited to meet everyone as I am,” he sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts, “Well, anyways, let’s go back to what we were talking about! You mentioned a, um, Yao? He is the Alpha of the Asian pack?”

 

“Mhm, yeah,” Emil said, glancing at his brother worriedly, making sure he was okay. Berwald remembered how upset Lukas had been after watching the packs fight. Lukas didn’t like to admit it, but he really did like some of the other werewolves, and it was very hard to watch people you considered friends go through horrible things, like being at war with your mate. Mathias had done a good job keeping them out of it, so they weren’t directly affected, but it was still hard to watch everyone fight. Berwald didn’t get to see much of the action, thankfully, as he had the important job of protecting Emil while Mathias and Lukas tried to negotiate with the other packs. Berwald glanced at Tino, glad that Tino wasn’t there back then either. Emil sighed and stretched out, “Remember Ivan from the Russian pack? That’s Yao’s mate. They’re probably the strangest couple out of everyone.”

 

“Really?” Tino questioned, smile back on his face, “How?”

 

“They’re both pretty overprotective of their packs, for one thing,” Mathias started, smoothing a hand through his wild hair, “So they’re naturally really protective of each other. I think two Alphas together doesn’t really work, because both of them want to take charge, but hey, I guess you can’t really help who you’re mated with!”

 

“Ivan and Yao have a weird dynamic that I don’t really get, but it’s nice to see them happy together,” Emil sighed softly, earning strange glances from both Mathias and Lukas. Berwald wasn’t sure what they were so worried about, though, it was pretty obvious what was wrong. Emil wanted his mate.  Badly.  He always caught him sadly looking at the other pairs at meets and it made Berwald’s chest ache at the thought of Emil feeling lonely. Especially now that Berwald had his mate, so he wouldn’t have as much time to keep Emil company at meets. 

 

Tino looked around at the pack confusedly and squeezed Berwald’s hand to get his attention, “Um, what about the rest of the pack? Yao, the Alpha, and Kiku, the Beta, and who else?”

 

“There’s a pair of mates, Nhi and Mei. Mei is very sweet and bubbly, you’ll like her, probably,” Lukas answered, still trying to meet his brother’s eye, “Nhi is pretty shy, but very headstrong. They are pretty cute together, I think. There’s only one more werewolf to talk about, his name is Yong Soo. Everyone loves their pack and stuff, but he really does take it to the next level. He’s  very  dedicated to his pack. In fact, I think he has a little grudge against Kiku because _he_ wanted to be Beta. I don’t understand that though, it’s not like you actually choose who the Beta is.”

 

“Yeah, I like Yong Soo, though. Okay, we're done, right? I'm really tired,” Emil said distractedly, eyes trailing over the twilight sky, “It’s getting dark, huh? What time is it? Like, seven-ish?”

 

“Probably. Do you wanna go inside? I think a cold front is coming in tonight, so we should go in soon.” Lukas replied, closing his eyes contentedly as Mathias rubbed small circles into his hips. Berwald gulped and looked away. 

 

“Yeah, I’m getting kinda cold. Plus, the fires gone down and we’re done telling Tino about the other packs,” Emil stood up and brushed his jeans off, then crossed his arms and looked at the rest of the pack.

 

Tino smiled brightly, “Thank you for telling me all that! This is all so crazy! I feel like, surreal right now. Sorta like it’s all a dream? And I’ll wake up in the morning and this all won’t be real,” he laughed and untangled himself from Berwald, blushing at how close they had gotten over the course of the conversation. He stumbled a few steps away but kept their hands locked together, “Let’s go inside, yeah? I’m kinda tired, too…”

 

Berwald stood up too and Emil tsked, “Ch, you guys are too fucking cute. How will I ever live with this…” he moved past them, grabbing their bag of marshmallows as he went, and hurried to the back door, “I’m going to bed. Goodnight, guys. Tino, I’m… I’m really glad you joined the pack.”

 

He spun around and slammed the door shut. Lukas smiled gently and Mathias laughed outright, “Well, I guess that’s settled! Let’s go, babe!” Mathias hauled Lukas up, carrying him bridal style after Emil, “Come on, guys! I feel like watching a movie, then crashing on the couch tonight. Join me! That’s an order, haha!”

 

Tino giggled and followed after him loyally, tugging softly on Berwald’s hand and fixing the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He smiled and said quietly, “Hm, I hope I remember everything you guys told me! That was… a lot of information at once! I’m so worried about meeting everyone, though. It seems like you guys are pretty close, I don’t want to intrude!”

 

“We’ll go over it again at the meet. You really don’t have to worry about people not liking you,” Berwald mumbled, opening the back door for Tino. He could feel his cheeks go red from embarrassment when he realized he was acting as gentlemanly as possible, as if trying to court his mate. He swallowed and followed after Tino quickly, continuing his sentence like nothing happened, “Even if you weren’t my, um, mate, I’d be happy to have a new person around. The last new people joined in the early 1900’s.”

 

Tino had his full attention on him, standing right in front of him and holding their hands together right in between their bodies, “Early 1900’s?”

 

“Mm, remember the war that we talked about? Ivan was scared that he’d be seen as weak since his pack was just him and his two sisters, so he turned four people within two weeks, more than doubling his pack. Feliks, Toris, Raivis, and Eduard, remember? It was a very stressful and high-tension time,” Berwald said, staring at their connected hands.

 

“Because no one could see their mates, right?” Tino questioned, sliding his fingers down Berwald’s palm, both shivering at the touch, “I really am very happy that times are better now. I can’t wait to see all those happy couples at the meet. Speaking of that, um, did Emil seem sorta sad when he talked about the other mates? I mean, I just met him! So maybe I’m wrong! But I was just wondering…”

 

Berwald grinned slightly. Figures that someone who’d only known Emil for a day could read him better than his own brother and Alpha could. Not that they didn’t try to, of course, but their vision of him as 'little brother' usually clouded their judgement. Berwald spent a lot of time with Emil, so he was definitely aware of his feelings, even if he never voiced them. He moved so he could press his hand on the small of Tino’s back and guide him towards the loveseat, where the rest of the pack was. He mourned the loss of their hands touching, but he figured he could probably get away with touching him more when they were sitting on the smallest couch they had. He said, low enough for their conversation to still be private, but loud enough for him to hear clearly “You’re right. Emil’s wanted a mate really badly for a long time. We both did, but I don’t have that to worry about anymore.”

 

He looked away from Tino’s surprised glance quickly and led him to the couch, sitting down next to him and refusing to meet his gaze. Tino giggled and leaned closer so they were only a couple inches apart, “You have more luck than him, I guess.”

 

Berwald could only whisper back the first thoughts that came to mind, “I think I’m very lucky.”

 

Normally these words wouldn't have been that strange to say out loud, but Berwald’s expression must have told what he was really thinking. His badly masked affection was probably as blaringly obvious as Mathias’s affection for Lukas. Tino looked delighted and, before Berwald could do anything else, laced their fingers back together.

 

As soon as their hands touched, the same spark happened again and it only made Tino’s smile widen. He leaned back on the couch and brought his knees to his chest. Berwald watched his cute little mate reorganize them so the blanket was set over them both, getting comfortable by leaning back on the armrest and stretched his legs out over his mate’s lap, “Ber, get comfy!”

 

Berwald bit back his grin and leaned back against the couch, turning to watch the rest of the pack. Lukas was piling blankets on top of Emil, who was already asleep, while arguing about what movie to watch with Mathias, who was kneeling in front of the cabinets next to the TV, digging through their insane amount of movies. Berwald rested his hands gently on Tino’s shins under the blanket, suddenly feeling very tired himself. He let his eyes drift close, not really caring whether or not he watched whatever stupid movie Mathias was going to put on. 

  
Right before he fell asleep, he could’ve sworn he felt someone taking off his glasses and pressing a tiny kiss right where they touched his temple, but he wrote it off as just his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope that wasnt just a huge chunk of info all at once aaaggghhh
> 
> please leave a comment!!! tell me what you thought of all the other packs!!! tell me whose backstory youd be interested in hearing, if any!! tell me who's your favorite so far :DD id really REALLY appreciate feedback on this, simply because im not too sure if i conveyed all this information well :(( PLUS its my birthday today (august 17th!! :D) so it would mean alot for my story to get a lot of attention for my bday :D
> 
> thank you so SO much for reading, i sincerely hoped that you enjoyed <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. its been almost two months since ive updated. ive rewritten this chapter about four times now and this is the finished result! the first two drafts were about 15k words and in berwalds perspective, but i decided in the end to keep it in tinos, simply bc i felt it didnt have the right impact as berwalds. the other draft was about 8k and it was honestly just really really bad so i had to redo it. in all i scrapped about 40k words so im not in the highest of spirits but im pretty happy with how this final draft came out so here u go!!!
> 
> another thing: i changed the frequency of updating to once every two weeks instead of once a week, simply because im writing very long chapters and i started school at the end of august, so i need more time to write and edit hhhh,,,,,i have a four day weekend the 9, 10, 11, and 12 so ill have tons of time to work then!!! :D
> 
> i just want to say thank you so SO much for sticking with this story, it means so so much!!!! i work for hours on it every day and i hope no one is too upset i had to take a hiatus for my personal sanity :) im back though! school has calmed down a little and october shouldnt be too busy for me so i should be able to keep to my schedule of updating!! <3
> 
> here we go on to the chapter then!!! things finally GET STARTED and im super excited about it!!!! :D

Tino sat on the couch for a while after everyone fell asleep, unable to do anything but stare blankly at the movie Mathias had put on (and quickly fell asleep in front of) and attempt to process all the information he’d gotten throughout the day. He was entertained by Berwald for a while, playing with his fingers and simply admiring his handsome features, but he got restless after the movie ended. He fidgeted, trying to get comfortable, but after about 15 minutes of just sitting there listening to the movie’s title screen play over and over again, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

 

Carefully untangling himself from Berwald and standing up without waking anyone up proved to be just about as difficult as he thought it would be. He managed to escape where he was snuggled up to Berwald, and adjusted his hoodie around himself and the blanket around his mate. The jacket smelled even more strongly of Berwald now, so he sighed contentedly before he stepped away. He cringed with the floor creaked in a few spots, but relaxed when no one woke up.

 

At one point, after he stepped on a particularly loud part of the wood floor next to the back door, he thought he woke Mathias up, but the Alpha just shifted and sleepily mumbled what sounded like a mixture of Norwegian and Danish under his breath. Tino sighed in relief and stepped outside, opening and shutting the door as quietly as possible. He shivered in the chilly night air and hurried towards the still-hot coals of the fire to warm himself up.

 

He closed his eyes as he sat down on the spot he and Berwald were sitting on earlier, still attempting to go over all the thoughts flying through his mind. He put his head in his hands and thought about each of the werewolves he’d learned about individually. There were so many things he had to remember, it was crazy! He sat there for a few minutes, chewing on his thumb lightly and making a mental list of everything he'd learned today. All the information about the territory, all the other packs, his own pack, and not to mention the fact that he was a werewolf now.

 

He could feel more unwanted tears welling up and he pinched the skin in between his thumb and forefinger to distract himself from his emotions. Just as he was going to stand up and go back inside to distract himself even further with taking another nap with his new little family, the back door opened to reveal Emil holding two mugs. Tino gasped and hurried over, “Did I wake you up?! I’m so sorry! I-”

 

Emil rolled his eyes and handed Tino one of the warm mugs, “Shh, I was already awake. I made us some hot chocolate. Ch, it’s June and it’s still fucking cold. Finland is so stupid.”

 

Tino smiled widely and breathed out in relief, "Good, good. I really like Finnish weather! It's chilly, yeah, but at least we get to see the pretty snow!"

 

"Iceland is better, we get awesome volcanoes and stuff," Emil said, yawning and walking towards the fire again. Tino followed him and beamed when the other patted the spot next to him, gesturing for him to sit. They sat in silence for a minute, both of them looking for the right words to say.

 

Emil spoke first, clearing his throat and not meeting his companion’s eyes, “So, um, how are you doing so far? Planning to run away?”

 

Tino laughed softly, “I can’t even imagine doing that, honestly. It’s like I’m, I don’t know, meant to be here? I feel so safe and happy. That’s something I haven’t felt in a while, ha.”

 

“You were unhappy before?” Emil said, glancing at Tino out of the corner of his eyes.

 

“Mhm, my life wasn’t going too well,” Tino sighed, rubbing his fingers up and down his mug, “My parents don’t like me, my boss likes me way too much, and I don’t even have any friends. I used to live in Helsinki with my mom and dad, but I couldn’t afford it after I started living on my own, so I moved here to Kuopio. I left all my friends and family though, so I’m pretty much alone all the time.”

 

Emil took a sip of his drink and hummed, “Why don’t your parents like you? If you don’t mind me asking…”

 

Tino furrowed his brows, “They caught me kissing one of my friends. One of my guy friends. It wasn’t that bad, though, really. I had already graduated high school and I was almost 18, plus they didn’t even yell at me at first. My dad just told me that if I was gonna ‘participate in that behavior’, he didn’t want me in the house. That was almost two years ago now, wow,” he breathed out, not meeting Emil’s eyes. There was quiet for a second, the only sound Tino's slightly labored breathing.  

 

“Are you sure that’s all that happened?” Emil said gently, “It seems like there’s more to this story.”

 

“Well, there is, but’s it’s just sad to think about. I was really upset when they kicked me out, and I think they knew that, so they tried to invite me back, but I said no. I was really mad and, um, I got with a lot of guys in that year, which just made them completely cut off all contact with me,” Tino laughed embarrassedly, blushing a little, “I guess I was just feeling rebellious.”

 

Emil laughed too, “Well, you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore. We obviously don't care that you're with a guy. We’re all gonna take care of you now, and I’m sure you’ll be happy here. Plus, I doubt you’ll wanna get with anyone other than Berwald anytime soon.”

 

“Ah…” Tino hid his giggle into his cup as he took another sip, “yes, that’s definitely true!"

 

They sat there for a minute, in a companionable silence, finishing their warm drinks. When their mugs were dry and their faces were only slightly illuminated from the hot coals in the fire pit, Emil spoke a few shy words, “So, what’s it like? Um, having a mate, that is.”

 

He coughed embarrassedly and Tino smiled kindly, remembering what Berwald had said about Emil wanting a mate very badly, “It’s… really weird. I’ve never felt anything like it, you know? I know I should feel scared and uncomfortable around a bunch of people I just met, but everything feels fine!" he giggled, "That sounds so cheesy, doesn't it? I guess the whole idea of soulmates is cheesy too, so it's okay! Anyways, having a mate is really good. I'm pretty talkative, so I'm mainly worried that he'll think I'm annoying, or oh God, _boring_. I-"

 

"Trust me, you're definitely the opposite of boring," Emil interrupted, rolling his eyes at Tino's embarrassed blush, "Ber likes you a lot, man. I've never seen him look at someone so fondly, if that makes any sense."

 

"You think?!" Tino asked excitedly, then frowned when a stray thought came into his mind, "Has Berwald been with other people before? To look at fondly, I mean?"

 

Emil smirked, "Of course. It gets lonely around here, sometimes you just wanna date someone, even if you know they aren't your mate. It's never serious, of course, and you can't stay with them for a long time because we don't age," he sighed, "but it's nice to have someone to be with sometimes."

 

Tino coughed, trying to distill the unreasonable jealousy that was clouding his body at the thought of Berwald being with someone else, "Oh... do most people without mates do that?"

 

"Yeah, whether it be just one night stands or actual relationships, most people without mates do it,” Emil shrugged, “I had a girlfriend like, a decade ago. She was nice, I guess. It’s really weird being with someone that isn’t your mate, though. Like, it feels really wrong.”

 

Tino nodded and sighed, “So, basically, finding a mate and stuff is the biggest issue you have in a, um, wolf life? Since all the packs don’t fight anymore?”

 

“Oh God, I wish,” Emil laughed, “There’s a lot more shit that we have to tell you still. For example, something that’s really bad and dangerous for us is hunters. And not just any old hunter wanting to make a jacket out of wolf pelts or whatever, I mean _werewolf_ hunters.”

 

Tino's face must have morphed into one of complete surprise, and Emil held up his hands quickly, "Us in the Nordic pack don't really have to worry about them! We haven’t come across any in awhile, and if there are some around here, they don't know that we're werewolves, at least. Well, actually… Mathias was being trailed by one when we were living in Norway for a while, but he and Ber, uh, took care of him."

 

Tino was speechless. So here was the horrible part being a werewolf! He could deal with leaving his family behind, suddenly having a _soulmate_ , meeting all the other packs, eating raw animal meat once a week, and even living with his new and improved best friends (who were still practically strangers!), but the idea of living an (apparently) immortal life in fear of being shot by a silver bullet or something was pushing it.

 

“We’re actually very lucky, some of the other packs have to deal with it ALL the time. For example, remember Lars? From the Mediterranean pack? His forehead was grazed by a silver bullet almost a century ago, and he _still_ has the scar. It's not too bad and he didn't get hurt that much, but it certainly scared their pack. They were on edge for a few years, definitely. Anytime something shakes up a pack like that, the Alpha always gets way, way more protective than normal, so Antonio was snapping at everyone who came close to any member of his pack, especially Lovino. It was really weird seeing him like that, especially since he’s normally so happy and nice…”

 

Tino swallowed heavily and set his empty mug on the ground next to his feet so he could rub his slightly sweaty hands together anxiously, “Has Mathias ever been like that?”

 

“I mean, he's really protective anyways, but whenever we come into contact with a hunter, he goes pretty crazy," Emil sighed, looking lost in his thoughts as he pushed a stray marshmallow on the ground around the toe of his shoe.

 

"How can he tell that someone's a hunter? Can they tell we’re werewolves as easily?"

 

"No, no. We're relatively safe when it comes to that, actually. We have the upperhand in finding them, so it’s really good. The Mediterranean pack is just bad at covering up their tracks, so they get found a lot. The way you can tell if someone's a hunter is by their scent," he crinkled up his nose, remembering it, "Ugh, it's disgusting."

 

"What's the smell like?" Tino leaned forward, hanging onto every detail.

 

Emil flicked his eyes to Tino's, looking at him with a surprisingly serious expression. Tino worried his bottom lip between his teeth and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the answer. The younger boy sighed and leaned back, speaking one heavy word that made Tino's skin prickle.

 

"Silver."

 

 

* * *

 

 

They made small talk for a few more minutes, both too caught up in their own thoughts to make real conversation anymore, before going back inside to get some sleep before everyone woke up when the sun rose. Tino stood over where Berwald was still sleeping on the loveseat, smiling at his mate’s calm sleeping face. He sat gingerly on the edge of the cushion, listening to Mathias’s slightly obnoxious snores and the soft sounds of Emil getting comfortable on his couch again. Berwald wasn’t making any noise, proving that he really was quiet all the time. Tino smiled and leaned back into the space he was in earlier, carefully getting under the blanket again and curling up next to his mate.

 

The warm chocolatey smell was what he fell asleep and woke up to. That, and the sound of Mathias dropping something in the kitchen. Whining a little, Tino stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He felt Berwald move under him and grunt softly, so he sat up and smiled at the taller man and uttered some sleepy words back, “Mm, good morning. Did you sleep well?”

 

Berwald fixed his hair with one hand and shifted his other so it was lightly pressed into Tino’s side. His hair was lighter in the soft morning sunshine, and Tino noticed then just how pretty a color Berwald’s eyes were. They reminded him of the soft waters of the lakes that he’d swam in as a child, the fuzzy blankets he’d wrapped himself in during the first scary months of living on his own, and the beautiful light blue that showed itself proudly on his country’s flag. Despite his stoic face, Berwald's eyes really did show his emotions quite plainly. Eyes are the window to the soul, or whatever. And right now those windows were screaming ‘I want to sleep!’ quite plainly. Berwald’s rumbling voice brought Tino out of his small mate-induced trance, “I slept fine. Did you?”

 

Tino hummed a distracted affirmative, focused on way more important things than his own sleep. Like how cute Berwald looked with his thin glasses askew on his face. He giggled, feeling very giddy for someone who just woke up, and set his mate's glasses right. A very flattering blush appeared on Berwald's pale skin and, oh man, Tino knew they barely knew each other, but he already felt such a strong attraction to the other.

 

He stretched and scooted off the couch, quickly pulling the hoodie around himself again and smiled back at Berwald, "Mmm... do you smell that? Breakfast smells good!"

 

Berwald nodded, still waking up, and Tino laughed and pulled them both to the bar facing the kitchen. Lukas looked up from the stove and waved with the spatula he was using to flip pancakes with, "Morning, guys. I know we had pancakes yesterday but I wanted them again, so that’s what we’re having," he pointed to a bowl on the counter, "Tino, do me a favor and taste that batter right there. It's supposed to be cinnamon, but Emil says it tastes like shit.”

 

"Oh, okay!" Tino said, happy to help with anything he could. He sent a quick grin to Berwald behind him and hurried around the bar to follow his instructions. He paused slightly when he saw Mathias laying on the floor playing on some kind of handheld video game, but he just stepped over him to get to the bowl. Unsure of whether or not it would be okay to just stick his finger in, Tino picked up the spoon inside and licked some of the batter off. His eyes widened and he turned to Lukas, “It’s really good! Really, really good!”

 

Lukas held up a thumbs up and said, “Thanks. I think it’s good too. Emil can go fuck himself.”

 

Tino giggled and moved out of the kitchen so he could plop himself down in the stool next to where Berwald was sitting, “Where is he anyways?”

 

“Probably getting dressed or taking a shower… he was awake before we were," Lukas shrugged, gesturing upstairs with the spatula, "Probably because of the, like, three naps he took yesterday. Ch, teenagers, am I right? Always sleeping.”

 

They made small talk while Lukas made breakfast for a while, Tino sneaking small smiles at Berwald, who would look away shyly every time he did. Tino was obsessed with making that blush appear, so he did it every couple minutes. A loud groan interrupted the conversation after about ten minutes and Mathias hopped up, hooking his arm around Lukas’s shoulders and

showing him the video game, “Dude, I can’t get past this fucking level! I’ve been trying to beat it for, like, a million years. Can you beat it for me? Pretty pleeease?”

 

Lukas rolled his eyes and thrust the spatula at his mate, taking the console and moving past him to hop up on the counter, “Fine. Don’t burn the pancakes, assface.”

 

Mathias grinned and saluted, “Yes sir!” he turned back to the griddle and waved at Tino and Berwald, “Sup, dudes. How are you on this fine morning of, uh..." he backed up to peek at the puppy calendar hanging on the wall opposite him, "June 19th?"

 

Tino groaned and laid his head down on the bar, “June 19th? Really? Ugh…”

 

“S’ wrong?” Berwald asked, finally entering the conversation, worried as to what Tino was groaning about, “What’s today?”

 

Tino raised his head and pouted, lip jutting out childishly, “I have to work today! That’s so annoying… I wanted to spend the day with all of you guys!”

 

Berwald frowned, crease forming between his brows, “You don’t really have to work anymore. We have enough money.”

 

It was a nice idea to play with, quitting his job to spend all of his time with his mate, but Tino was an adult! He could take care of himself! He did wish that he could stay here and lounge around and get used to all the mess he’d gotten himself into, but it would only be trouble if he didn’t go into work. He sighed and rested his chin on his fist, “I gotta, though. My boss’ll be mad! Only a few people work there, so they need me for the dinner rush. I go to work at 3, though, so we still have a ton of time before I have to go!”

 

“Yeah, man,” Mathias said distractedly, busy trying to pour the batter onto the griddle into the shapes of a few specific parts of the human anatomy, “Ya’ll guys need to go back to Tino’s to get your stuff anyways. So like, your dog and clothes and whatever. I hope you don’t mind moving in with us, but it’s sorta your only choice, haha.”

 

Tino turned back to the Alpha and smiled, “I don’t mind at all! I would be lonely if I had to be at my tiny house all alone when I knew all of you guys were here together!” he paused and tilted his head to the side curiously, “What do you mean, it’s my only choice, though?

 

“Wolves are pack animals,” Berwald entered quietly, instantly drawing Tino’s full attention back to him, “I’ve tried to live on my own before. S’ not easy. Or fun. Since packs do everything together, there’s nothing you can do on your own that seems normal without your pack.”

 

“Let’s not forget you totally wanna be around me all the time!” Mathias laughed, puffing out his chest proudly, “I’m, like, the coolest Alpha ever. Right, Luke?” he grinned at Lukas’s scoff and flipped another pancake with almost inhuman enthusiasm, “See? Luke agrees.”

 

Lukas jumped off the counter and thrust the game back into Mathias’s hands, effectively stealing back the spatula in a swift movement, “Two things, Mathias. Number one, stop fucking calling me Luke,” he pushed his mate away from the food roughly and rolling his eyes, “Number two, I beat that level. It was really easy, I don't know how you couldn't get past it.”

 

“Whaaat?!” Mathias whined in disbelief, “You beat it in like one minute! That’s not fair!”

 

"What isn't fair is that I'm stuck with someone who insists on making all the pancakes in the shape of dicks," Lukas countered, clicking his tongue at the stack of phallic breakfast items on the plate, "I left you in charge for two minutes, how did you even manage make so many?"

 

"That's a super secret, super cool Alpha power, babe, I can’t let you in on it!” Mathias teased, getting mugs from a cabinet, smile apparent even his voice.

 

“Tch, what’s the point of having the Alpha as your mate if you don’t even get to learn super secret, super cool Alpha powers like that?” Lukas sighed, ignoring Mathias’s guffaw and picking up the now full plate of food and handing it to Berwald, gesturing for he and Tino to follow him, “Food’s sorta ready. Ber, put that on the table. Tino, go sit at the table and be pretty.”

 

Tino jutted out his lip and crossed his arms poutily, “I wanted to help, though!” he wanted to protest more, but when he felt Berwald’s free hand settle on his waist for a second as he passed him, he sighed and relaxed. Oh well, he’d just add it to the list of nice things they were doing for him that he’d have to repay, “Fine, fine, I’m going.”

 

Lukas hummed and turned around, “Mathias, go put those mugs on the table and pour drinks for everyone. I’m gonna go get Emil.”

 

Everyone hopped to their jobs, Mathias’s grumblings about how the Alpha should be the one giving out orders being paid no attention, and soon they found themselves settled around the table with pancakes and eggs surrounding them. Tino, sitting straight-backed and trying to use his absolute best table manners so he didn’t seem rude. Berwald, keeping an eye on Tino to make sure he was happy with the meal. Lukas, boredly letting Mathias feed and coddle him. Mathias was, as previously mentioned, practically force feeding his mate and keeping the conversation at the table singe handedly alive. Emil was apparently taking another nap upstairs, and now he sat at the table grumpily (and probably still half-asleep) with a fuzzy blanket still wrapped around his sagging shoulders.

 

Tino sat back in his chair once he was done eating, sighing contentedly, “Mmm… I’m so full! Normally I just have a sandwich or something for breakfast, so this is like a royal meal!"

 

"Actually, we normally have that too, but I figured we should make a good impression on you for at least the first week of you being here," Lukas answered, waving Mathias's loaded fork away.

 

Red flashed across Tino's cheeks and he groaned, “Don’t treat me all special! I’m fine! You guys are so nice, stop it!” he covered his face and felt inadequate for not being able to bring anything to the table here, literally and figuratively.

 

Mathias laughed and stood up from the table, stretching his arms over his head until his back popped, “We just wanna make sure you’re happy here, man. It’s our job! Anyways, I’m gonna go ahead and excuse myself from the table, so Emil can stop falling asleep into his juice. Luke, are you done? Let’s go for a walk, yeah?”

 

Smiling gently at his brother’s indignant mumble of ‘I’m not falling asleep, dickhead’, Lukas stood up too, picking up he and Mathias’s dishes, “That sounds good. Get the rest of the dishes, kay?”

 

Mathias nodded and kissed Lukas’s cheek as he walked past, balancing the china carefully. Tino watched closely as a faint pink came to Lukas’s cheeks before walking into the kitchen after his mate and he smiled softly, “They are really cute together, huh? You can tell they really are in love! Even if Lukas is a little mean sometimes…” he trailed off, smiling at Berwald.

 

Berwald nodded and took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee, “They love each other a lot. Mathias is pretty stupid and Lukas is surprisingly shy, so it’s a miracle that they manage to work out.”

 

Tino hummed in agreement and stood up, back aching as he did so. He groaned, “Ugh! When we start heading to my house, can we just stay humans? This turning into a wolf thing isn’t doing nice things to my back…”

 

“I'll drive us. We shouldn’t have fallen asleep on the couch. It’s my fau-”

 

“No, no!” Tino laughed, stacking the rest of the dirty dishes and carrying them to the kitchen, beckoning Berwald to follow, “That couch is come comfortable than my bed at home! I’d be happy to sleep on it every night!”

 

“That’s not really necessary.”

 

Tino laughed a little and put the dishes on the counter, rolling his eyes jokingly when Lukas shooed him away. He sighed, "One day I'll get you to let me help! Just you wait!”

 

Lukas snorted, “Don’t count on it, man. Now go away and let us take care of it. Don’t you and Ber have an annoying dog to bring over here?” he asked, looking pointedly at Tino.

 

Tino brightened and backed out of the kitchen again, "Hana! Ber, can we go now? I feel guilty leaving her alone for so long…”

 

He felt bad for asking so much of them, but hey! Hanatamago needed him! A few minutes passed, and he found himself getting into Berwald’s big black car to head over to his house. As soon as he climbed in, the scent of his mate made him halt right in his tracks. Oh God, it was so strong in here, he could _taste_ it. His mouth watered almost instantously and he snapped his it shut and set his jaw tight.

 

He settled himself lightly in the seat and closed the door as Berwald walked to the driver's door and got in. When the taller man got in, the scent got a hundred times stronger and Tino had to sit on his hands to control himself. He stared wide eyed at the muscles in Berwald’s forearm as he started the car, and he shut his eyes too. He was sure he looked like the poster child for being uncomfortable and tense, but he’d rather that then pounce on Berwald while he was driving and get them both killed or something. Imagine that, dying in a _car crash_ of all things when he was in a world of werewolves and hunters and whatnot!

 

Tino’s head was pounding by the time they reached his house and when he felt the car come to a stop, he immediately opened the door and practically ripped himself from the car, gasping for fresh air after trying holding his breath for the entire length of the car ride. He could still smell the scent on his clothes and he groaned, dropping to his knees right on the pavement of his driveway like an idiot. He didn’t even hear the driver’s door slamming shut or the sound of feet hurrying over to him, but it was impossible to ignore his mate’s worried voice calling his name.

 

He shook his head from side to side and mumbled “headache…” just loud enough for the taller man to hear him. What a fool he was! What a stupid, melodramatic, ungrateful fool! He’d basically just collapsed for no reason in front of his new _boyfriend_ (or whatever), oh God. He’d just felt so exhausted all of a sudden, not even having enough strength to hold himself up and pretend he’s okay. How was it even possible that he was feeling so happy when he first woke up, but now he could barely breathe correctly?!

 

He startled when he felt himself be picked up bridal style, twitching a little then calming a little. The smell of Berwald was really strong again and it was as addicting and delicious as it was in the car, and Tino pulled away slightly as Berwald hurriedly carried him up to the front door. It scared him how little self control he seemed to have over himself in this situation and he just wanted to be alone so he could stop acting like a freak!

 

While he was having an internal conflict with himself (give in to Berwald’s charm and be good or run away like a child? The answer seemed obvious, but he was so scared), he’d been taken inside and placed on the couch. Tino curled in on himself and made a small, upset noise.

 

“Where’s your kitchen?” Berwald asked, voice closer than Tino thought it would be. He peeked out from behind his hair and met the taller man's gaze almost immediately. The worried expression on his mate’s face made his heart drop to his knees and he instantly felt even more horrible than he did before.

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” he mumbled, trying to sit up. Trying to do anything to get that look off Berwald’s face. The look, however, just seemed to get worse when he finally got to where he was kneeling on the couch, so he coughed and mumbled again, “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

 

He laughed weakly, trying to ease the tension in the room, but when he rubbed his eyes with both hands and they came away wet, he just sighed again. Berwald reached to brush away one of the tears on his lower cheek before it could fall on his shirt and said quietly, “Kitchen? I’ll get you some water.”

 

Tino watched as the hand retreated into Berwald’s space and he sighed, “You don’t need to do that, I’m just really-”

 

“Tino,” Berwald interrupted, cutting off the other’s voice instantly, “Both your body and your mind are in shock right now. You need to let me take care of you, okay?”

 

Tino sort of just blankly nodded to appease him and, in what seemed like no time at all, he was sitting up fully on the couch drinking water from a mug and pretending to watch whatever sitcom Berwald turned the television on to. He didn’t really know how to act after his humiliating little episode of whatever the hell that was, so he just kept his gaze forward and mouth shut.

 

It was mostly silent for a while, until Berwald broke it by awkwardly saying, “Don’t you have a dog?” and Tino slightly gasping and popping up off the couch, almost spilling his half-empty mug, to run down the hall frantically looking for his little pet. He wrenched open his bedroom door last and was immediately met with an extremely excited Hanatamago. She ran in fast circles around him for a second before holding still long enough for him to pick her up and hold her close to his chest so she could squirm happily close to him. He could already feel his mood lifting when he carried her back to the couch to Berwald.

 

She was licking his face with her tiny tongue as he sat back down on the couch and he laughed, “Hana, I’m so happy to see you! Awww… I missed you too!”

 

He held her away from his face and grinned widely at Berwald, bad mood almost completely gone with seeing his cute little best friend, “Okay, Ber, this is Hanatamago! She’s really nice, but she sorta has to warm up to you at first…”

 

He trailed off when Hana jumped off of him and immediately set to licking and yipping happily at the other man. Tino laughed at how cutely surprised Berwald looked and pulled the small dog off of him, pouting a little, “Wow, she really likes you! She didn’t even like me when I first got her! So, what do you think? She’s the cutest dog in the world, huh?”

 

Berwald fixed his glasses and sent a small, relieved grin to Tino, obviously happy that that silent freak-out session Tino was having was over. Tino couldn't blame him, he was happy he was feeling back to normal too (he was kinda worried about his insane mood swings still, but he'll have to deal with that later). Berwald reached to pet Hana, "She is really cute. Lukas was right, she does look like you as a wolf."

 

Tino giggled and held her up in front of his face, "We're twins! Isn't that cool?" he cooed to her, then set her back down so she could sniff around them both, "Do you think I smell different to her?”

 

“You probably just smell more like me,” Berwald said calmly, then hurried to say, “and the rest of the pack! Since you've been- yeah..."

 

Tino could've laughed at how awkward Berwald was, but he mostly found it endearing, so he just grinned and nudged Hana off his lap so he could stand up, “Do you mind if I go and change my shirt for second?” at Berwald’s nod, he smiled and headed back to his room, calling out over his shoulder, “You and Hana can have some nice bonding time while I’m gone, yeah?”

 

He reached his room again and as soon as the door was shut, he shut his eyes and slid down the door so he could pull his knees to his chest. He sighed and let his head fall back against the wood, wondering just what the hell he’d gotten himself into. He felt like he was constantly either on the verge of having a mental breakdown or about to pass out from the overwhelmingly happy feeling in his chest.

 

He stood back up after a minute or two and went to his dresser- still open from where Lukas had pulled out clothes the day before- and pulled out his extra work uniform (the original was in still in shreds and soaked in his blood), deciding to just put it on now so he wouldn’t have to redress later. The light blue shirt with the restaurant's logo and jeans weren’t the most attractive or flattering clothes in the world, but they weren’t even the _beginning_ of the problem with his work outfit. His boss must have had a horrible, twisted sense of humor, because he made Tino wear a clashing, frilly, feminine apron with his uniform every time he worked in the mornings. He hated agreeing to go along with his boss’s creepy, disgustingly...kinky ideas, but this job really was his only way to support himself, and his only option was to do as he was told.

 

He grimaced at the apron sitting innocently folded in the drawer and was infinitely glad he wasn’t working the morning today. He pushed past the apron to pull on his new, only slightly less embarrassing clothes, and make sure he had different clothes to change into after work so he wouldn’t have to wear the dumb apron and shirt out in public at all. But, alas, the stupid apron he had to wear to fulfill his superior’s fantasies was only a drop in the ocean of Tino’s current problems. The biggest drop -a tidal wave, in fact- was currently waiting for him on his couch, so Tino had to go make himself presentable so they could actually start getting his stuff together to actually move into the pack’s home.

 

He made his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix the mess that was probably his hair. His thoughts wandered to what he was and was not going to even bring with him in his little move across town. He didn’t really even have much, and what he did have was cheap and bad quality since he’d had to buy it all on such short notice. The only things he really needed to bring were his clothes and whatever personally valuable items he had, and he didn’t have much of either, so it probably wouldn’t take more than an hour to pack all his stuff together. Probably. Hopefully.

 

That was sort of a depressing thought, so he checked himself in the bathroom mirror and went back out into the living room. He peeked around the corner into the room and grinned at where Berwald was letting Hana chase his finger around. The little game was really, really adorable, but the little smile Berwald wore was even more so. Tino pressed the back of his hand against his mouth to hide his grin and walked over to them, kneeling next to the couch and resting his chin on his arm, “Looks like you two are really getting along, huh?”

 

Berwald met his eyes and his lips curved upward, "Mhm. She's really sweet."

 

“Then I’m sure she’d appreciate if you packed her things!” Tino teased, “I’ll get my clothes and stuff while you do that, but I don’t actually have that much I want to take with me, so we won’t have to stay here long, fortunately.”

 

Berwald nodded in agreement and soon they found themselves in an almost awkward state of being hyperaware of the other person in the house, but being too far away to speak to them, yet still close enough to feel slightly uncomfortable. Tino wanted to talk to him, but yelling to him from the bedroom didn’t seem like the best idea, so he just kept his mouth shut. Hana was running back and forth between rooms, spending half her time with Tino and the other half with her new favorite person.

 

Berwald finished before Tino did, since there wasn't much for him to pack anyway, so he joined him in packing his bedroom up. They worked in silence for a while, until Tino finally spoke up, “So, last night me and Emil had a conversation about something.”

 

Berwald hummed to show he was listening so Tino continued, "And something he said made me curious, you know? It’s about, um, people you’ve been with before.”

 

Tino caught Berwald’s slightly curious look and he quickly elaborated, “People you’ve dated! Before you got a mate, uh…”

 

He trailed off, realizing just how presumptuous he was being. His cheeks went scarlet but, before he could even try to turn what he’d said into something slightly less awkward, Berwald was answering, “I wasn't with very many people, compared to others. Only about 10 people, actually.”

 

The number was smaller than he thought it’d be, but he still felt a little pang of jealousy. He brushed it off and managed out a quiet, “When was the last time you were with someone?”

 

Berwald finished taping off a cardboard box and sat down on the bed, careful to not disturb where Hanatamago had curled up to rest. Tino turned around and leaned against his dresser to listen to him, “About two years ago. Around Christmas, I think. We dated for about a month, but again, I’m not really sure.”

 

“Emil said it was really weird to be with someone who isn’t your mate, so I guess it makes sense you were only with them for a month. Can I sit?” Tino asked, gesturing to the spot next to him on the bed.

 

“‘Course,” Berwald answered, turning the roll of tape back and forth in his hands, “But yes, it was really weird. Being around anyone romantically that isn’t your mate is a little repulsing, actually.”

 

“Repulsing?” Tino looked up at that. None of his own relationships were ever really that satisfying, but he didn’t really know if _repulsing_ was the right word to use…

 

“Mm. It was probably a psychological thing now that I think about it. It just seems so horrible to be wasting time with someone who doesn’t matter when your mate is out there, living their life without you.”

 

_Oh._

 

Well.

 

Tino hid his grin with the back of his hand and giggled, “We even could’ve met two years ago! I was actually with someone at the time too, but I think I would’ve left him in a heartbeat for you, heh.”

 

Berwald’s lips twitched at Tino’s comment, but something flashed in his eyes right before he responded, “Who were you with?”

 

Tino groaned jokingly, “Depends on what time of the year we’re talking about. That year was a… wild ride, to say the least.”

 

At Berwald’s (really endearing) confused eyebrow furrow, he trudged back into the depressing territory that was his past with his parents and various men he barely knew the name of. Tino preferred to not think about it at all and keep that part of his life completely top secret, but for two reasons did he willingly recount them to Berwald. One; he’d already told it to Emil last night, so there was really no point in trying to keep it from the rest of the pack. Two; words just came really easily around Berwald, so he probably couldn’t keep in his little life story if he tried.

 

Once he finished recounting the past two years of his life, he glanced back up at the taller man, having played with his fingers the whole time, to see a much stronger flash in his eyes. Tino’s throat went dry at the dark look, afraid he’d said something wrong or too personal, but Berwald simply averted his eyes and mumbled, “Did you date anyone? Or was it all just, uh-”

 

“Oh! Yeah, one night stands made up a good amount of my, uh, encounters, but I did actually date some people! Well, only two people… and both for less than two months, but hey, I figure that’s a good start, you know? Especially since neither of those relationships were really meant to last, since I have a soulmate now,” he teased, just to see if he could get the blush back on the other’s face.

 

His attempt wasn’t in vain, because as soon as the words left his mouth, the red was back at full force. Tino laughed and stood up from the bed again, stretching his arms over his head and humming when his back popped comfortably, “Mmm… what time is it?”

 

“Uh,” Berwald glanced at his watch, as Tino’s alarm clock was already in one of the boxes, “2:30”

 

“What?!” Tino exclaimed, rushing forward to check the watch himself, “I have to go! My stuff, though…”

 

“I’ll bring your stuff and Hanatamago with me once I drop you off. Is that fine?”

 

Tino grinned at Berwald and gestured for him to follow him out of the room, “You’re a lifesaver, Ber!”

 

* * *

 

 

After another excruciating car ride, they reached the restaurant. Tino took a deep breath and turned to Berwald, face a little red from the smell of his mate all around him again, “Thanks for bringing me! I’m glad we were able to talk more today, it was really fun!”

 

Berwald nodded, “Mhm. What time do I pick you up?”

 

 

“I get off at eight tonight! It’s pretty late, so go ahead and eat dinner without me, okay?”

 

Berwald raised an eyebrow and Tino couldn’t help but think how handsome the skeptical look was, “We’ll wait for you.”

 

Tino blamed his next action on the combination of Berwald’s scent (still as strong as ever) and the heat that gathered in his stomach and on his cheeks when their eyes met (a very new, very addicting feeling). He opened the door with one hand and right before he scooted out, he leaned in and gave the taller man a small kiss on the cheek. He pulled back quickly and grinned widely at Berwald’s completely unmasked surprise. He scooted completely out of the car and right before he shut the door he turned back around and smiled as widely as he could, “See you later, yeah?”

 

He barely saw Berwald’s tiny nod before shutting the door and hurrying to the door of the diner. Turning around just in time to see the car drive away, Tino hid his smile behind his hand. He opened the door and was instantly met with a scent that made him stiffen. His smile disappeared as his eyes scanned the room looking for the source of it and felt his blood run cold when he identified it. His boss was standing in the door separating the kitchen and the dining room, yelling at the chef in heavily accented English for taking too long with a dish.

 

His boss turned around and as soon as he saw Tino standing in the open doorway, he leered creepily. He sent a creepy wink his way before sauntering off, presumably to get another beer, but all Tino could focus on was the smell. It tickled his nose uncomfortably and made him want to book it and run straight back out the door behind him. It sent a chill up his spine, but he grit his teeth and dealt with the disgusting, horrible, worrying scent of _silver_ stinking up the entire diner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW!!!! still deciding on the boss's name, but he should have one by the next chapter :D!! he IS an oc, by the way!!! i couldnt make any of the hetalia characters the bad guy i love them too much ;__;
> 
> another little note: right now they are in kuopio, finland!!! i chose that spot bc not only is it a pretty well populated town with tons of cute little festivals and activities, but its also got a ton of forest/lake area around it, so its perfect for my story!!!!! kuopio is a great little place, id love to visit one day ^.^
> 
> comments mean more than youll ever know, and if you leave your tumblr/twitter/anything ill follow you!!! as always, my tumblr is ieroscarecrow, and PLEASE message me if you have any questions/criticism/comments!!!! i dont bite :p dont be shy!!!!! id LOVE to make friends bc of this fic, it would make me so happy!!!!!
> 
> anyways!!! germanys birthday was the third, so happy bday to him!!! i was going to put the chapter up then to celebrate but things happen, ya know? okay thats all i have to say!!!!! hopefully ill see yall in two weeks!!!!!! PEACE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im a few days late, but it seems impossible for me to actually be on time ever so.......at least its not a month late again lol!!!!!!i would be lying if i said the thing that motivated me to post this today was the fact that its my baby austrias birthday!!!!!!! i love him.....
> 
> this chapter is cute i think!!!!! its the shortest one ive posted so far but HEY its pretty plot heavy >:0 it also seems i have a weakness for the nordic 5 bickering and being precious together ;___; a lot of plot stuff comes up so im EXCITED ABT THIS CHAPTER
> 
> also i actually have pretty big news!!!!! this will be the last update of october, so i want to tell you all this bc its my last chance to!!!! i will be participating in nanowrimo this year and my goal is to double this fic's word count in the month of november >:D thats about fifty thousand words, so expect some lengthy updates!!! ill probably still be posting every two weeks, but the chapters will be longer/more detailed!!!!! im very excited!!!!!!!! if you are a writer, i HIGHLY suggest looking into nano, its a great great great community!!!!!!!!
> 
> thats all i have to say for right now, so ill let u read the fic now :D!!!!

Tino couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough come eight o’clock. He never took his sweet time when leaving his job, but tonight he ripped himself out the door as soon as he possibly could. After such a long, seemingly never-ending shift, he just wanted to go curl up under a blanket and sleep for about a week. But that wasn’t exactly possible right now, because Berwald wasn’t here to take him home yet.

 

He plopped himself down on a bench outside the office supply store next door and held up his raw, red hands so he could more closely inspect the blistered pads of his fingers and palm. He hadn’t even thought about silver hurting him outside of being shot by bullets, but he’d quickly figured out when he picked the first fork up off his first table that any contact with silver at all was enough to create an extremely painful rash on his skin. And even more unfortunately, that wasn’t the only unpleasant contact he’d had with silver all night.

 

His boss had mainly left him alone during his shift, which was actually very pleasant, but Tino still came out of the place smelling like he’d just rubbed his entire body in a combination of his mother’s old jewelry and greasy diner food. Luckily the smell of burgers and fries mostly masked the smell of silver, but Tino still caught an occasional, stinging whiff of metal that made him shiver every once in awhile. He’d even tried staying on the complete opposite side of the dining room from his boss just to _try_ to get away from his boss’s horrible, horrible stench.

 

Grimacing as he gently rubbed his injured hands, Tino sighed and hid them in his pockets. They hurt like hell, but hey, at least it wasn’t morphing his entire body into a wolf again! Maybe he could ask Berwald about something to help it; this couldn’t be a new problem for them, right? He sure hoped it wasn’t. He couldn’t get much done like this, after all. Speak of the devil, the low growl of an engine came rumbling down the road and stopped in front of him.

 

Tino felt his mood lighten a little at the familiar car and he hopped up to get in. As soon as he met Berwald’s eyes as he settled down in the seat, he grinned widely, “Hey! Thanks for picking me up! Was everything okay with my stuff?”

 

“Hey. Yeah, it was all taken care of,” Berwald scrunched up his nose in dissatisfaction, “You smell like burgers, though. Let’s get home so we can have some real food.”

 

Tino was surprised he didn’t smell the silvery stench coming off his clothes, but then again, the smell of burgers was probably more overpowering than anything. He patted down his shirt and grimaced, “Ugh, I know! I sort of have a headache from all my senses going nuts today, so it’ll be nice to get back to somewhere that smells good!”

 

He looked around the car and breathed deeply, relaxing in his seat as Berwald started speeding down the road again, “Mmm, earlier the scent of you in here was so strong it made me dizzy, but now it’s like a godsend after being in there all night! Oh, uh, but I didn’t mean I don’t like the way you smell! I love it! It’s really good, I jus-”

 

“Tino,” Berwald interrupted, lips upturning slightly, “I get it. I felt that way in your house earlier too.”

 

“Oh, really?” Tino relaxed, letting himself fall back into the easy back-and-forth exchange. He’d never been gladder that his flirting skills didn’t seem to be malfunctioning. So, biting his lip and enjoying the view, he continued, “You should’ve said something! I was a wuss, though… I almost fainted, remember? Oh gosh, that was so embarrassing.”

 

“You almost fainted… from my scent?”

 

“Well it sounds even worse when you put it like that! I didn’t know it was gonna be that strong…” Tino trailed off, clenching his teeth together tightly to fend off the blush threatening his face.

 

Tino was so obsessed with the light red on both his and Berwald’s cheeks that he took a second to even process what was being said back to him, “I didn’t realize you’d be so affected by it, I’m sorry.”

 

Tino looked away embarrassedly, unable to hide his blush anymore, and huffed, “I’m new at this, you can’t expect me to control myself as well as you can.”

 

“I’ll keep that mind,” the red got a little deeper right before he continued, “Um, maybe being exposed to it in small doses would be better, instead of all at once…”

 

Tino blinked, then grinned widely, leaning in and resting his elbow on the armrest and his chin on his hand. He was sure he looked a little ridiculous, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up, “And what should I be exposed to first, do you think?”

 

Berwald gawked for a second at Tino’s sudden flirty tone and tightened his grip on the wheel, determinedly not meeting his mate’s eyes, “Well, if we’re going to be in a relationship,” he coughed, voice going softer, “we should do things that people in relationships do. Like, um, dates…”

 

Tino couldn’t hold himself back anymore and started laughing quietly, “Ber! You’re so shy! And sweet, aw…” he leaned forward right when the car pulled to a stop in the back of the house, using the momentum of the car stopping to push himself forward in his seat and put a gentle hand on Berwald’s cheek so their eyes could meet. A couple seconds passed of silent tension building and Berwald leaned forward a few inches, probably not even sure he was doing so, but Tino took the initiative, closing the rest of the space between them so their lips could meet softly. A spark immediately shocked them both and they both pulled apart to softly gasp at the feeling, but Tino made a small, needy noise in his throat and pressed their lips together again.

 

Tino felt like he was going to explode and he didn’t even _care._

 

They stayed like that for a couple seconds, not moving, barely even breathing, before Tino pulled back all the way and blushed heavily, whispering in a slightly broken voice, “Small doses, yeah?” and shakily gesturing for them both to get out of the car and enter the house.

 

Berwald almost jumped out of the car first, moving so suddenly that Tino could only stare as he walked around to the other side of the car to pull open the passenger door for him. He got out, a little sad to leave the place where such nice things had happened, and grinned at his mate, “Excited to get inside?”

 

Berwald hummed and put a hand on the small of his back, guiding him forward, “I just have a lot of adrenaline right now.”

 

Tino smiled at him over his shoulder and, without thinking about it, raised his hand to open the back door for them both. As soon as the cold metal of the doorknob hit his -still injured- hand, he winced and pulled it back like it burned him, “Ah, crap…”

 

“Tino? What happened?” Berwald’s voice sounded right next to him and he spun around, holding his hand close to his chest.

 

“Oh… well, at work, I guess all the utensils and silverware and stuff hurt my hands? They’re just a little sore, though, so it’s fine!”

 

Berwald gently pulled his hands away from him and inspected them. Tino shivered under the scrutinizing look and averted his eyes from it, “Tino, they’re completely blistered. How’d you even go all day with these?”

 

Tino waited for Berwald to open the door for him before he joked, trying to get the steely look off his mate’s face, “I guess I’m stronger than I look! There’s more pain in my shoulders and knees, though, from changing yesterday and stuff, so I was distracted by that…”

 

The steely look only got worse at his words, though, “I’ll get Lukas to fix it for you.”

 

That peaked Tino’s interest, “Lukas? Can he, like, heal people? Is he a doctor?”

 

Berwald hung up his coat by the door and turned back to him, “Well, not really. He’s learned a little from his friend, Vladimir, who’s an actual doctor, remember?”

 

“Oooh yeah! The vampire,” he giggled, making pseudo-fangs by taking his two index fingers and holding them in front of his mouth.

 

“Yeah,” Berwald hummed, lips upturning at Tino’s actions, “But Lukas can heal you, just not with actual, um, medical practice.”

 

Tino must have looked as confused as he felt, because Berwald quickly elaborated, “He’ll show you what I mean later when he and Mathias get back.”

 

“Oh? Where are they?” Tino asked, carefully nodding at Berwald’s answer.

 

“They’re still on their walk, I think. They only actually left an hour ago, so they haven’t been out long, but they should be back soon.”

 

“And where’s Emil, then?” Tino questioned, peeking around the corner so he could see into the kitchen and dining room area, “Is he here? I’d feel bad if he’s here all alone!”

 

“He’s not alone, don’t feel bad. He was on the couch taking a nap with Hana when I left.”

 

That perked Tino up, “Oh! Aw, that’s a cute picture…”

 

Berwald hummed and started to say something, but was interrupted by the back door they just entered through slamming open. Mathias stood in the doorway, Lukas right behind him, and grinned widely, “Oh, you’re off work, Tino! I thought I smelled you… Welcome back to the house, dude,” he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, “Did’cha miss me?”

 

Tino grinned at the two newcomers and nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes! I couldn’t wait to get back here!”

 

The Alpha nodded, happy with that answer, “Good! Are you hungry? Because I’m so hungry, I could eat, like, twelve million horses.”

 

“That’s not the saying and you know it,” Lukas deadpanned, pushing past the little group to go into the kitchen fully, “What do you all want for dinner? Tino? I know some Finnish recipes, if you’d like that.”

 

Tino sighed dramatically, “Lukaaas! I told you to stop catering to me!”

 

“I know how to make hernekeitto, so I think I’ll make that,” Lukas continued, purposely ignoring what Tino said, “That sounds good, right?”

 

He looked back at Mathias for approval, and when he got two thumbs up and a cheesy smile, he turned back around and rolled up his sleeves to start pulling ingredients out of the fridge. Berwald took a step forward, moving from standing behind Tino to slightly in front of him, “Before we start that, Tino hurt his hands at work, Silver burns, bad ones too.”

 

Lukas immediately stopped what he was doing and turned his calculating eyes on Tino. Tino gulped and hid his hands behind his back, “Really, it’s not that bad! I just think the silverwave at work kinda, uh, burned? My hands?”

 

Lukas stepped back over to them, dodging Mathias’s grabby hands, and held his hands out, waiting for Tino to place his own hands there. Tino sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of doing this, and held out his hands gently. Lukas inspected them and clicked his tongue softly, “This is practically an open wound. You’re just like Emil, never letting people help you, ugh.”

 

“I let people help me!” Tino gasped indignantly, “This just isn’t important!”

 

“Mhm, well, we should get to fixin’ this. Mathias, make dinner? You know how to make hernekeitto, right?” Lukas mused, still studying the red hands in front of him.

 

Mathias groaned and slumped over, but nodded anyways, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it. I wanted to watch your magic, though…”

 

“You know it’s not magic,” Lukas corrected, “And we went over this earlier, surely you didn’t forget. It’s your job as the Alpha to provide for us and make sure we are all safe and healthy, so get to cooking, loser.”

 

“Hey, I totally provide for you guys!” Mathias complained, looking to Berwald for help, where he obviously got none, “I’m, like, the best Alpha ever and I’m about to make the best pea shit ever, just you wait, Luke!”

 

Berwald’s lips twitched at Tino’s quiet whine of “it’s not shit!” and Tino felt a small twinge of satisfaction at causing that. He shot a quick grin towards his mate, just to get another blush to go with the cute smile, before turning back around when he heard Lukas say his name, “You know, Tino’s technically the only one of us who has a job. Maybe he should be Alpha, since he could provide better for us.”

 

Mathias’s mouth opened and closed for a couple seconds before he turned straight around and started getting out a saucepan, mumbling to himself grumpily, “Maybe Tino should be your mate too, if you like him so much…”

 

“That’d be nice,” Lukas said, sounding like he was barely paying attention, circling his hand around Tino’s wrist to pull him out to the living room, “Ber, I’m stealing your boyfriend while you and our wonderful Alpha make dinner.”

 

Tino squeaked and felt his face burst with heat, and he quickly put his face down as Lukas pulled him to the couch opposite where Emil was still sleeping. He was on his stomach with Hana curled up on the small of his back, and, even though it was pretty adorable, Tino had more important things on his mind, “Lukas, I don’t really know if me and Ber are, um, boyfriends yet, you know? I mean, I _think_ we might be, but we haven’t really spoken about it, so…”

 

He trailed off at the other’s unimpressed look and shut his mouth. Lukas waited until Tino sat on the couch before he made his way to his brother so he could wake up both him and Hanatamago. Hana immediately bounced up, as soon as Lukas touched her back, and growled at Lukas. Tino scolded her immediately, but he couldn’t stay mad for long when she ran over to him and started trying to jump up on the couch to be with him. He gingerly picked her up and she sniffed at his hands, obviously noticing the injury right away. She licked them softly and he cooed, petting her with the very tips of the fingers on his other hand.

 

“I’m the only one she doesn’t like, it’s not fair at all,” Lukas appeared again, this time holding a small bowl of water and a small, very old-looking book. Emil appeared behind his brother, looking as sleepy as he did that morning, moving to kneel about a foot in front of Tino. Lukas let a small smile show on his face at his brother, before continuing, “I mean, I’ve been nothing but nice to her, really. She should love me.”

 

“She’s probably just… shy,” Tino offered sheepishly, letting Hana curl up next to his thigh to go back to sleep. Lukas sat on the other side and handed Emil the book, leaning forward to flip the ancient, thin pages carefully to a certain page with one hand and balancing the bowl of water on his knees with the other. Tino watched this quietly, and when they both settled, he spoke up, “What’s the water for? And the book?”

 

“He’s gonna cast a spell on you,” Emil yawned, earning a scoff from Lukas and a surprised intake of breath from Tino.

 

“It’s not a spell and you _know_ it. Jeez, what’s with you and Matt calling these spells?” Lukas rolled his eyes, then immediately stiffened, “Don’t either of you dare tell Mathias I called him Matt.”

 

Emil rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. You’re really bad at pretending you don’t like him, you know that, right?”

 

Tino couldn’t help but smile at Lukas’s embarrassed scoff, “You guys are so cute!”

 

“Shut the hell up,” Lukas muttered under his breath, taking a deep breath to try and calm the red on his cheeks, “I’ll just not fix your hands, how does that sound?”

 

The two younger men laughed mirthfully and Tino held out his hands, “Nooo! I’m sorry! Please, go on and do your magic, Lukas!”

 

“Fuck you both,” he muttered again, before straightening and making sure the expression on his face was neutral again, “So. Tino, let’s do this. You can’t move at all, okay? Even if it starts to hurt, just tell me immediately and I’ll stop.”

 

“You’re starting to scare me,” Tino said nervously, biting his lip, “Why would it hurt…?”

 

Lukas didn’t answer, swirling his finger in his water calmly. Tino followed the water with his eyes and felt the tension in the room elevate until it was almost palpable. He tried to catch Emil’s eye, but the other was focused on his brother’s fingers making patterns in the liquid. When his eyes went back to the bowl, his mouth dropped open and a quiet gasp could be heard. The water had attained a slight glow and was traveling up Lukas’s fingers in little waves. He quickly looked back at Emil, just to make sure he wasn’t the only _seeing_ this _shit_ , but the boy was just sitting quietly and staring intently at the water swirling around his brother’s hands.

 

“Okay… that is definitely magic,” Tino breathed out in a whoosh, blinking a couple times to clear his eyes.

 

Lukas just sort of rolled his eyes and nodded slowly, “Not magic. But yeah, sorta. Magic.”

 

Another minute passes and Lukas’s hands were completely covered by a film of silvery water. Emil muttered a quiet ‘move forward, Tino’ and Tino hurriedly scooted, pushing his quivering hands at the taller man. Lukas carefully moved his hand so it was settled about an inch above one of Tino’s.

 

“Okay,” Lukas spoke in a focused undertone, “Hold still. This isn’t supposed to hurt, but I haven’t really done it in a while, so who knows,” he set his shoulders and blew a piece of hair that escaped his clip out of his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and set the bowl underneath, then letting the water almost _float_ off his hands until it was completely covering Tino’s palms in the same, filmy way.

 

He watched the water for a second before letting out a huge sigh of relief and leaning back on the couch to close his eyes, sweat making his fringe stick to his forehead a little, “Fuck. I’m exhausted now.”

 

Tino didn’t know how to answer that. Actually, he didn’t really know how to respond to anything that had happened in the past couple minutes. He just sort of stared at his hand for a couple seconds before letting out a sigh of his own and reached up, forcing his free hand to unclench, to nervously rub at his neck, “So, um… what? What is this? What is it doing? How did you do it?”

 

“It’s magic,” Emil whispered, Tino glancing up to catch the childlike expression of awe on his face. Okay, that was enough to make him feel a little better, since Emil looking so happy about it must’ve meant that it was a good thing, right? Or at least not a bad thing?

 

Lukas peeked open one eye and smiled gently at his brother, “Not magic, Em.”

 

Emil rolled his eyes but didn’t answer, so Tino waited a couple seconds before asking, “Did you put a curse on me?”

 

Lukas outright snorted at that, “That’s ridiculous. A curse, really?”

 

“It’s not the most ridiculous thing that’s happened the past couple days,” Tino pouted, palm tickling as the water slowly circled round and round. He watched it as he spoke again, “What is it doing, though? For real?”

 

“Well,” Lukas started cracking his knuckles and taking the book back from his brother, “I guess the only way I can describe it is that I put a healing charm on the water so the silver burns’ll go away.”

 

“So… magic?” Tino questioned slowly, still having to make sure he was even breathing.

 

Emil laughed softly at Lukas’s eye roll, “It’s totally magic, man. There’s no way it’s anything else!”

 

Lukas sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, “Fine, whatever, it’s magic. You want big bro to enchant your toys so playtime is more fun?” he cooed in a baby voice, sticking out his tongue at his younger brother.

 

“How about you enchant your mouth so it shuts the fuck up,” Emil muttered, cheeks red with embarrassment.

 

There was a lull in conversation then and Tino enjoyed the comfortableness of the room until he even remembered what he was stressing about before he’d been surrounded by his pack again. His boss! His damn stupid boss who just happened to have a very good chance of being a werewolf hunter! Tino leaned his head down to see if he could still smell that same silvery scent and when a faint, yet spine tingling whiff sent a new wave of worry through his body, he decided to confide in his two new friends.

 

“Uh,” he started, unsure of how serious the situation even was. Emil had said last night that they had a pretty low chance of being caught, so it couldn’t be that big of a deal, right? “Emil, remember how we were talking last night?”

 

Both Emil and Lukas looked at him curiously, so he trudged on, “About how, um, hunters smell like silver? I-”

 

“ _Emiiil,_ ” Lukas groaned, leaning forward all the way to put his head in his hands.

  
What?! He deserves to know! You guys were babying him!” Emil huffed, crossing his arms over his chest poutily.

 

“He is a baby! Look at him!” Lukas insisted loudly, reaching to poke one of Tino’s cheeks.

 

Tino swatted him away and tried to continue, but Mathias and Berwald coming out from the kitchen stopped him. Tino was happy to see his mate again, but the annoyance was still there from being interrupted before saying something potentially important. He used his free hand to gesture Berwald over next to him and Hanatamago, waiting for him to sit down before fully facing him and touching him as subtly as possible to calm his nerves a little, showing him the water still pooling and gently dripping off his hand and into the bowl, “Look, Ber, isn’t it cool? I think the water has special powers or-”

 

“Luke, why were you raising your voice?” Mathis’s worried voice rang out, effectively stopping Emil’s quiet arguing with his brother and Tino’s soft chatter to his mate.

 

Lukas sighed, but held out his hand to gesture for Mathias to sit next to him. He immediately brightened and the sunny smile was back on his face as he scooted behind Lukas on the couch and wrapped his arms around his waist. Lukas closed his eyes and leaned back against his mate’s chest, “Emil told Lukas about hunters.”

 

“Whaaat?” Mathias whined, “He’s just a baby, though!”

 

Tino groaned and let his head fall back, meeting Berwald’s eyes, “I’m being bullied,” he whined, jutting out his lip. Berwald smiled softly and put his hand on Tino’s arm, resting it gently right above where the already faint scar from Mathias’s bite was. He shivered from the touch and looked back to Lukas and Mathias, who were, for a reason unbeknownst to Tino, now fully making out.

 

He stared at them for a second, surprise etched into his face, before looking to Emil for an answer. Emil was just playing with his fingers in his lap, but he looked up when he felt Tino’s eyes on him. Tino glanced towards the couple and raised his eyebrow and Emil nodded slightly in understanding before answering, “Oh. Um, Mathias called you a baby and Lukas was like, ‘hey, I said that too’ and they just started kissing? I don’t really know-”

 

Mathias and Lukas pulled apart with a smack, interrupting Emil. Lukas turned back around, wiped his lip with his sleeve and reached up to fix his hair pin with a slight red tinge on his cheeks, “Um, anyway,” he coughed, making his mate grin proudly and bury his face in his hair, “So Tino, you know about hunters?”

 

“Not really, honestly… all I know is what they smell like, but-”

 

“Blech,” Mathias interjected, “worst smell in the whole world, dude.”

 

“Yeah, I know, it was-”

 

“When we were in Norway there was this guy who-”

 

“ _Mathias_ ,” Berwald shot in, immediately stopping the Alpha in his tracks, “let Tino talk.”

 

Tino felt his cheeks heat up and he stammered, “Well, I’m not really sure about this, but I think I might, um, know a hunter…”

 

“What?!” Mathias immediately exclaimed, a dark look flashing in his eyes, but shutting up just as quickly with a glare from the other three members of his pack.

 

“Tell us what happened,” Lukas said calmly, the same neutral tone and facial expression in place.

 

“Oh, so I went into work, right? And I immediately smelled this awful silver smell, like Emil said! I’ve never smelled it before, so I thought maybe it was just that day, but then my boss walked past me and it was definitely him!”

 

“Tell us everything you know about your boss,” Lukas said, voice suprisingly wavering. Tino watched as he laced his fingers tightly with his mate’s, and he immediately felt really guilty for making everyone worry.

 

“It’s probably nothing, though! I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to make you worry!” Tino cried, wanting to hide his face in his hands, but the water remaining on his palm made it impossible.

 

“Tino, you didn’t do anything wrong. If your boss really is a hunter, we need to take care of it,” Mathias said, slipping into an authoritative voice, making Tino shiver, “Even if we ignored the fact that he might be a hunter, there’s no way you’d be able to hide the fact that you’re in a pack of werewolves for longer than a couple weeks.”

 

“We’ll all go in next time you’re working and check it out for ourselves,” Emil added, watching his brother’s expression carefully, “But you should still probably tell us everything you know about him…”

 

Tino rubbed his free hand over where Berwald’s was tightening on his arm and sighed, “Okay, I can do that. His name is Kasper Korhonen, and-”

 

“Heh, what a Finnish name…”

 

“Shut up, Mathias.”

 

Tino smiled weakly at the exchange before continuing, “I really don’t know much about him, because I try to avoid him as much as possible, but I do know he has a brother who comes in and always yells at me because his fish isn’t cooked right,” he frowned, wrinkling up his nose, “and one of his friends is really into hunting! I don’t know if it’s, ah, werewolf hunting, but he’s always talking about how many big animals he’s shot, so I don’t know…”

 

Mathias sighed, running a hand through his messy hair and stood up, pulling Lukas with him, “You work tomorrow, right? We can all go in tomorrow and meet the bastard ourselves, and make a decision then. If it turns out he is dangerous, then we’ll bring it up in the meeting and make the final decision with everyone else.”

 

Lukas sighed and pressed a kiss to the underside of his mate’s jaw, whispering quietly, “You make a good Alpha sometimes,” before sitting back down and saying, “I have to do Tino’s other hand, still. Give a few minutes to get that done and I’ll be right with you.”

 

“Oh!” Mathias chirped, perking back up instantly, “Can I watch?”

 

“You’ll just distract me,” Lukas sighed, pulling the bowl closer to him and pushing the excess water off Tino’s hands back into the bowl, “but fine. Absolute silence, though, got it?”

 

Mathias nodded loyally and sat on the ground next to Emil, resting his chin on his hand and watching quietly. Tino shivered at Lukas’s nail scraping at the water still stubbornly sticking to his skin, but Berwald’s chin on his shoulder easily made him feel better. He leaned back into the other man and felt a little giddy at the scent wrapping around him once again.

 

Once all the water was off Tino’s hand, and the cloudy water wasn’t shielding his skin anymore, Tino gasped at the complete lack of burns on his palm, “Wow! This really is magic!”

 

“Not… magic…” Lukas muttering, biting lightly on his nail as he flipped back to the correct page in the book Emil was holding up for him. Tino tried to take a glance at the page to see what it said, but it was in a strange form of Icelandic or something that Tino didn’t recognize.

 

“It’s Old Norse,” Mathias grinned, noticing Tino furrowing his brows at the page.

 

“Mathias, silence is a virtue,” Lukas mumbled, tugging his mate’s hair lightly before turning a few pages again, “and this one isn’t just Old Norse. It’s sort of a mix of Latin too. I got it from Vlad, remember?”

 

Mathias nodded, looking appeased with that answer. Tino was just confused, however, “I thought you guys were only a couple centuries old… How do you know something like Old Norse?!”

 

Lukas smirked, “We have a lot of time on our hands,”

 

They all sat there for about fifteen more minutes, Tino feeling like he was getting an operation done in front of everyone with they way they were watching so intently. Mathias seemed especially interested, mouth completely open in awe at some points. Once Lukas was done setting the water over Tino’s hands, he was out of breath and dizzy.

 

“That specific charm just takes a lot out of me, I’m fine,” he insisted, when his mate fretted, but let Mathias carry him to the dining room anyway, setting him down in his normal chair and insisting that he’ll ‘take care of him!’. Emil followed shortly with Hanatamago, after watching the water move on it’s own around Tino’s hand some more.

 

That left Tino and Berwald alone.

 

Tino turned back so he was facing his mate and smiled, “This is so weird, I’m not the only one who thinks that, right?”

 

“It’s very weird,” Berwald laughed quietly, “Mathias and Emil just really like it when Lukas does things like that, so they tend to overreact.”

 

Tino nodded thoughtfully, “It’s not the weirdest thing that’s happened to me, that’s for sure…”

 

Berwald nodded too and they made eye contact for a few seconds, before Tino noticed the other’s eyes slip down to his lips quickly. Tino grinned to himself and set the bowl of water so it was more steady under his hand, using his other hand to steady Berwald’s cheek so he could suddenly smash their lips together. Berwald made a muffled surprised noise and Tino had to force himself not to giggle so he wouldn’t have to pull apart

 

They stayed relatively still for a few seconds, until Tino couldn’t control himself anymore, and licked lightly at Berwald’s bottom lip and threaded his fingers through his hair. Berwald immediately opened his mouth and pulled Tino closer by putting both hands on his waist. A trail of heat simmers, crawling deep within his pores, where Berwald touches him, and Tino wants to keep that warmth long after they’re unavoidably going to have to stop kissing, touching, being near each other. The feeling really was ineffable, their tongues curling carefully together and hands pulling each other closer.

 

He’s only registering things one at the time, probably due to the shock that he’s still definitely in, and he just now realized that the _taste_ of Berwald was a million times more addicting than the smell of him. It’s like taking the already insanely desirable smell of his mate and multiplying it until you got the most tantalizing result.

 

After making out with Berwald on the couch for a couple minutes, Tino really wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from going further, so he wasn’t that annoyed with Mathias interrupted them with a loud whoop and cheer of “GET IT, BERWALD! FUCK YES!”

 

They popped apart, a trail of spit connecting their lips, and Tino laughed quietly, swatting it away. Tino could feel his heart pounding like a drum and he took a deep breath to try and calm himself. Berwald had an attractive blush that was quickly traveling up to ears and down his neck. Tino felt a sudden rush of affection at the embarrassed look and he stood up, leaning to kiss his mate’s cheek quickly before hurrying away to the kitchen with his bowl, hiding his face embarrassedly as he walked past Mathias.

 

Eventually they all ended up at the table, Berwald and Tino sitting so close their arms brushed, and eating dinner after Lukas’s water thing was done. Tino was having fun. A lot of it, really. Everyone was so kind and the conversation was never boring at the table. Even the food completely surpassed Tino’s expectations. Who ever expected a Dane to make good hernekeitto, after all!

 

They sat at the table for almost two hours, long after they finished eating, just talking and enjoying each other’s company. Tino and Emil occasionally slipped Hana small pieces of their pork, so she mainly kept in between them. Only when Mathias’s yawns were interrupting his speech and Lukas was having trouble keeping his eyes open, did anyone even consider leaving the table.

 

Lukas was the first one to stand up, starting to stack up the plates, then sighing and slumping, “Man, whatever. It’s, like, three in morning, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

 

“I think it’s around ten, babe,” Mathias stretched over the back of his chair, smiling at his mate next to him.

 

Lukas just groaned and fisted the Alpha’s shirt in his hands, dragging him up his seat and sending a small smile to the rest of the table, “Well, goodnight guys. See you in the morning.”

 

Tino, Berwald, and Emil rose too, exchanging quiet ‘goodnights’ as well. Tino followed Berwald until they reached the stairs everyone else had gone up on, before stopping abruptly when he remembered another problem he’d been thinking about all day, yet completely forgot about when he came into the house. Where exactly he’d be sleeping tonight. Berwald seemed to sense that his mate wasn’t following him anymore and he paused, looking back behind his shoulder. Tino saw the confusion in his eyes and he looked away, embarrassed, “I was just wondering… um, where I’ll be staying tonight?”

 

Berwald turned so he was facing him all the way and rubbed the back of his neck in an almost nervous way, “I put your things in the room you were in yesterday. I wasn’t sure if you were comfortable, uh, staying with me in my room, so I just put your stuff there for now.”

 

Tino felt any feelings of anticipation he’d had about staying with Berwald flow out of him, but he still stayed strong and smiled, “That’s fine! I need to get my stuff unpacked anywa-” he cut himself off with a yawn and sheepishly looked back up at his mate, “I’ll get my stuff unpacked tomorrow, haha. It’s getting pretty late!”

 

Berwald nodded seriously and took a small step forward. Tino’s grin widened. He wasn’t sure how he knew exactly what Berwald was going to do from that tiny movement, but he was definitely sure of what he was going do to make it come faster. He closed the two feet of space between them as quickly as possible and stretched up to kiss him again. Kissing him while standing up was a completely different ball game, however, because he had to get all the way up on his tiptoes and put his arms around Berwald’s neck in order to be able to reach his lips.

 

Luckily, Berwald took pity on him and leaned down more so their lips could actually meet properly. Tino giggled against his lips at how ridiculous it was, and maybe it was just how giddy he was feeling at being so close to his mate again, but he really didn’t remember a time before this where he’d felt this _happy._

 

They stayed close, exchanging kisses and smiles, until a little whine sounds by their feet. Tino pulls away from Berwald, admiring the frazzled look in his eyes, and grinned brightly, “Looks like Hana’s ready for bed, huh? I should get going...” he hummed, but made no move to move from Berwald’s strong arms. Berwald didn’t make any move to release him either, which made something in Tino’s stomach turn with pleasure.

 

Tino rested his forehead on Berwald’s shoulder, breathing deeply and letting his scent wash over him one more time before sliding his hands down his mate’s chest and down to his own waist, gently prying the other man’s fingers from his waist. Their fingers slid together slowly, and Tino stared at the way their sizes contrasted so nicely as they went back into their own space.

 

Tino waved to him with one hand and picked up Hana with the other, only barely able to hold back his urge to jump up and down and scream with pure, dizzy happiness. As much as he didn’t want to, he started to turn towards the room down the opposite hallway, only looking behind his shoulder to drag his eyes up Berwald’s body and call out, “Goodnight!”

 

He got inside the door and immediately slid down it, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in his hands to hide his smile. What a crazy day! He could still feel his lips tingling and he patted his cheeks, forcing himself to stand up and do something productive, like change out of his clothes and take a shower. Or go lay on the bed and giggle about Berwald some more. Either works, really.

 

It wasn’t until a few minutes later, after he’d actually perused through the couple boxes he had and gotten out real sleeping clothes, that he even heard Berwald go back up the stairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres a lil history behind hernekeitto!!! its a green pea soup traditionally served on thursdays with pork/ham or mustard, and pancakes for dessert!! theres a finnish term for this kind of "home-made food" (staple foods eaten almost on a daily basis) which is 'kotiruoka'!! the opposite of kotiruoka is 'perinneruoka', which applies to food never eaten outside of holidays or regional food only eaten in that specific part of finland!!! hernekeitto is kotiruoka bc people eat it often and its very popular!!! :D
> 
> another thing: i know that in europe they use the 24-hour clock and stuff but i just made them use the 12-hour bc i know most ppl reading probably use the 12-hour and i didnt want to make it confusing!!!!
> 
> if u know anything about me, u know i have a serious weakness for norway's magic ;___; i couldnt help but add it in this fic...... hopefully it makes sense? itll be explained more later but i rly hope it made sense for him to have magic in this!!!! i was a little wary about adding it, but i figured 1) its already a werewolf fic i might as well and 2) A LOT OF MAGIC TRIO WILL BE IN THIS FIC SO I LITERALLY COULDNT STOP MYSELF.......HELP ME.......
> 
> i also just think its so cute how denmark made dinner..........denner, i like to call it........  
> yes i made him make dinner just so i could make that joke *bows to my loving crowd* really everyone, theres no need to cheer <3
> 
> OK THIS IS ACTUALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS I HAVE PLS READ ieroscarecrow.tumblr.com/tagged/desired-constellation this is the tag on my blog for this fic aaahhh!!! ill be posting various things in the next two weeks, so maybe check in there if u want some exclusive fun stuff >:D two things im definitely putting in there are 1) a couple reference maps of what land/territory each pack has, since i know thatll REALLY come in handy later when all the other packs come in :D (im actually posting this rn!!! go check it out hehe) and 2) AN ULTIMATE EXTREME BEST EVER TOTALLY AWESOME MASTERPOST of what every. single. character. looks like as a wolf and what they smell like AHHH ive been working on that list since before i even started writing this story in june, so im really excited to finally type it all up and post it!!!! <3
> 
> okay so next chapter should be around the first weekend of november!!!!!!!! ummmm i dont really have any more to say and u guys are probably bored with my ramblings so yeah!!!!!! thats all!!!!!!! see you in november :D

**Author's Note:**

> Jumalauta: Finnish word meaning 'God help me' or 'oh my God'. poor tino was so scared!!
> 
> I HOPE YOU LIKED THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!!! please please please give kudos if you enjoyed!! remember: comments make me update faster ;) if i see this story get a lot of love, i might post two chapters a week!!! so please, if you enjoyed, kudos or comment!!! or even better, BOTH!!!!! <3 thank u for reading!!!
> 
> my tumblr is ieroscarecrow.tumblr.com, if you want to get in touch with me!!!


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